Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure
by Darksage95
Summary: Nigel sends his youngest recruit, Hazel, on a mission to rescue a herd of dinosaurs for Prehistoric Park after telling her his most guarded secret. This adventure is her biggest as she faces danger, makes friends with a group of dinosaurs, and follows them to the Nesting Grounds. Will she be able to save them before the destined meteor hits? Rated T for some language and blood
1. Into the Past

_Hi guys! I'm taking a break from Pokemon and Gargoyles/Teen Titans for a while. I've come up with a new story idea. Yup, that's right, a NEW idea…about dinosaurs! This idea had been stuck on my mind for quite a while and I decided I should write about it. Now for a few notes: 1) this story is going to be in two parts. 2) I'm following through with whatever species appears in Disney's Dinosaur. I know some are from different continents and some species are…well…different and don't pop up at the same time, but hey, it's a story. 3) There will be an event that would mess around with the timeline, but like I said, it's a story. And finally, 4) I do not own Disney's Dinosaur or Prehistoric Park. The only thing that I own are the characters I create. Now that I've said what I needed to say, let's get this show on the road!_

**Soundtrack: Prehistoric Park opening by Daniel Pemberton/Aladar Meets the Herd (first part) by James Newton Howard**

Intro...

_There is something missing from our world. The amazing animals that time has left behind. But what if we can bring them back? What if extinction didn't have to be forever? We're going back in time on a safari with a difference, as wild life adventurer Nigel Marven plunges into pre-history to rescue creatures on the brink of extinction. His plan is to bring them back to the safety of the present and give them a second chance. This time, however, Nigel is sending Hazel, Prehistoric Park's youngest staff member, to find and retrieve a herd of dinosaurs. She travels back 65 million years ago and trails a herd of dinosaurs headed to their breeding grounds. Each day there brings new surprises...and new dangers. ...Welcome to the ultimate wild life sanctuary. Welcome to Prehistoric Park._

It was quiet. The valley was covered in darkness. The stars were up in the sky and gleaming like diamonds. The only sounds that permeated in the air were those of crickets. It was summer and in mid-July, the hottest time of the year, at least in this part of the world. The air was still and everyone was asleep. Well, except for Nigel Marvin.

Nigel was sitting in front of his desk in his study. His open-air workplace was littered with maps, diagrams, data, and pictures of dinosaurs. The area was illuminated by the few lamps he kept. If a maid came in here while he was researching, she would have a heart attack. He was in his usual adventuring outfit: his favorite blue shirt, light gray vest, and light shorts. It was a normal thing to see Nigel up all night doing research; this meant that he was planning for his new adventure. On his desk were a series of papers and maps depicting North and South America and was littered with post-its.

The man was about to write something onto another yellow post-it when his study was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the walkway. Nigel looked forward and saw a young girl, about 18 or 19 years old, walk into his study. She was small for her size, the top of her head only reaching his shoulder if he stood up. Her medium-length black hair was tied back in a ponytail. She wore a light purple tank top and short brown khakis. The girl also wore a rope choker with a ring situated in the middle, a bracelet on her right wrist made of the same material, and brown combat boots. The girl stopped in front of Nigel's desk and folded her hands together behind her back.

"Ah Hazel. I'm sorry to disturb you at this time. It being late and all," Nigel said as he got up from his seat and went to her.

"Oh it's alright. I wasn't tired at all," the young girl replied. "Is there something wrong?"

Nigel shook his head and smiled. "No no. Far from that." He walked back to his desk and wrote something on a post-it note. "In fact, I only wanted to talk to you."

Hazel shifted her position, but still kept her composure. She had known Nigel for about a year and was already used to things around the park. Just last year, when she first arrived in Prehistoric Park, she had trouble getting used to the location and especially the park's residents. However, with time, her nervousness faded and she now considered this place to be her second home. There were even some times when she accompanied Nigel on his missions to bring back prehistoric animals. The park already had a few new residents, consisting of four Plateosaurus, two Pachycephalosaurus, the very curious but gentle Therizinosaurus, and four baby Protoceratops. Hazel always looks forward to new adventures and traveling back in time to see and rescue prehistoric animals tops it off.

Nigel finished writing, put his pencil down, and looked back up at Hazel. "Do you remember the very first day you arrived here?"

The girl immediately nodded. "Yes. I remember it like it was yesterday."

"You were very nervous. And nearly fell off the truck when you saw a Titanosaurus sniff at you," the head researcher chuckled.

Hazel did the same. "Yeah, I was very nervous."

"And you soon got used to them, and everyone else here."

"That too," she nodded.

Nigel made his way to her and stood about a foot away. "You love this place, don't you?"

Like before, Hazel nodded. "Yes. Very much. It's my home away from home."

Nigel did a small nod and looked down then back at her. "That's wonderful to hear. …This park is my lifelong dream and with what we've done so far, that dream has now become a reality. We're saving various animals from extinction. And I know in the future that we'll be rescuing more. Which is why I've decided to expand the park area."

Hazel grinned in excitement. "Which would mean the park would have more residents."

Nigel waved a finger once and did a pointing gesture. "Exactly!"

"So what creatures are you planning to bring in now?"

The man shifted a little, showing a little uncertainty in his expression. "Well…I've been thinking. This valley is so large that there's enough room to roam around in. I was thinking of something big."

Hazel placed an index finger under her chin and looked down a bit. "Like bigger than a Titanosaurus?"

"No, I didn't mean in body size. I meant in the number of animals. Like a whole family group."

The girl quickly turned her head to him and her eyes widened. "Wait, are you talking about a herd?"

"That's right. I'm thinking about bringing in a herd of dinosaurs."

Hazel couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Sound idea and all, but how are you going to keep them from escaping? I mean, they might break their gates like the Titanosaurs do and they'll need a lot of room to roam around in."

"Ah, I knew you were going to talk about that," Nigel leaned onto his desk with one arm for support. "That's why I'm expanding the place. It's so the herd of dinosaurs can have a lot of room to roam around in. And also…"

The man backs up and kneels down behind his wooden desk. He opens the largest drawer at the bottom, which was filled with various objects. On the very top was a ridged metal object about a foot in length. The middle part of the peculiar pole was raised and both ends had what seemed to be blue lights, which were off. Nigel closed the drawer, stood up, and showed it to the young member. Hazel walked a little closer and observed the thing.

"I've been working on this." Nigel added.

"What is it?" Hazel asked as she lifted the metal object from his hands.

"It's a new thing I've been working on. Wooden barriers and fences are good for small groups of animals, but for a large herd of dinosaurs, that would not work very well. This is just one part of a special fence that I've been working on. When fully functional, the fence would send specialized signals to the dinosaur's brain, letting them know not to venture very far. It's like an electric fence made for a dog, only harmless. The staff knows about it, but I didn't want to tell you until now." Nigel explained.

"Why?" the girl lifted an eyebrow up. She finished observing the metal fence and placed it on his desk.

"Well…I'm not sure how to explain it. Ever since I saw you interacting with the Ornithomimus a few weeks back, I knew that you had potential to be an excellent park keeper, and perhaps a zoologist. I've also thought about the future. As in…when I'm gone, who will carry out the legacy of Prehistoric Park?"

Hazel tilted her head in confusion. "I still don't understand."

"This park is my dream and my life. I don't want it to go to waste. I want it to continue and to thrive for generations," Nigel said with longing in his tone.

It was then that Hazel understood. "You want me to succeed you. That's why you've been taking me with you on those various adventures. You were training me."

"That's right. Now, I know it's a big decision and I understand if you deny it. I mean, it's a big responsibility and all…"

"Count me in," the dark haired girl immediately answered.

"What!?" Nigel said and nearly lost his footing.

"I'll go for it. I love dinosaurs and any other animal. I also know that everyone deserves a second chance. I love this park and I love everyone in it," Hazel explained. She then looked at Nigel and smiled. "And that's why I'll do it. Not just for the park but also for the animals."

The man nodded and patted her on the shoulder. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. You will make a great partner, and a researcher."

He let go and picked up the fence part. After turning it over a couple of times, he bent down and returned it into the bottom drawer. Nigel stood back up and placed both of his hands on his desk.

"However, I won't give the position of partner or keeper just yet. You still have a long way to go."

Hazel's smile disappeared and she gave him a serious nod. She didn't expect Nigel to say something like that, but if she must prove herself to one day be this park's head successor, then she'll do it.

"What should I do?" she asked.

"I've never done this before, and it's one of my biggest dreams ever since I was a child; taking care of a herd of dinosaurs. I want you to rescue a herd and bring them here," Nigel told her.

"Okay then. What type of dinosaurs are you thinking of?" Hazel once again asked.

"Any. It doesn't really matter. As long as they're not too big though, like Supersaurus big," he replied.

"Alright. What period then?"

Nigel looked at her and placed a hand on his chin. He looked down at the map first then shifted through the many papers on his desk. After all the papers were gone, he revealed a large world map that had been hidden at the bottom. Nigel moved his right index finger slowly to various parts of the world. After a few moments, he flipped the map over and revealed the map of Pangaea.

Hazel curiously watched her mentor go through the many papers and maps. She knew that whenever he does that, Nigel is in deep thought. This is just his way of confirming his decision. She also saw him put the papers away and stare at the map for a few moments.

"Um…" Hazel leaved over to him and was about to say something.

"Right!" Nigel clapped his hands once and Hazel backed up a bit. "I'm sending you back 65 million years ago."

The girl gasped and trembled a little. "Wait, you mean back to the time when the meteor hit and destroyed the dinosaurs?"

"Yes," he said with another nod.

"Oh dear…" Hazel put a hand on her mouth. Her fears of his decision had been confirmed. For this mission, she would be on a time limit against the meteor impact.

"But don't worry. You won't be facing a problem like a meteor hit. In fact, you'll be retrieving a herd of dinosaurs after that event," Nigel reassured her, which only made her confused.

"After the meteor hit? But I thought the dinosaurs died when the asteroid hit the earth," Hazel looked at him in confusion.

"They did. However…I did not tell this to anyone because they'll think I'm crazy but…there were actually TWO meteors that hit the earth, 65 million years ago," he explained with some hesitancy.

"Wait what!?" Hazel again almost lost her footing.

"Not all of the dinosaurs died when the first one hit. When I was younger, I did some research and traveled the world. I visited the crater in Mexico and collected some samples to try and determine the age of the crater itself. Then, sometime later, I heard that a new crater was discovered in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I traveled there, rented a submarine, and collected samples from the ocean floor. Dating the rocks was a very long process and a very difficult one. However, my work paid off and I made a new discovery: the rocks were about the same age, being only a few years apart," Nigel explained while trying to stay calm about it.

"Oh my gosh…" was all Hazel could say about his secret.

"The crater in Mexico was in fact 'younger' than the one in the Atlantic Ocean. I also dug for some bones of similar animals and I performed the same procedure on them. The results were astonishing! The same species, same time period, and dated a few years apart. The bones I found were found near the respective craters and, with a few more detective efforts, I discovered that they were of the same age as those craters! It sounds like a lot to take in, but I'm saying that the dinosaurs survived the first hit," he said in excitement, happy that he could reveal his secret to someone he trusted.

"Whoa…this…this is a lot to take in," Hazel lifted her hands up next to her face.

"I know. It is. Now then, I'll be sending you back 65 million years ago, AFTER the first meteor impacted the earth. And don't worry, you'll be miles away from the inflicted area so things like oxygen and temperature should be fine."

"Uh…okay then," the girl tried to form a sentence but was still shocked by this secret. "That was secret was mind-boggling, but rest assured, I won't tell anybody about it."

"Very good. Also…I forgot to mention this…but you'll be going on your own on this one."

Hazel's mouth dropped. "Huh!? With no backup!?"

"I know. It sounds bad. But…I'm saying that for a reason," Nigel told her.

He then leaned down and opened another drawer from his desk. This time, it was on his left side and it was the smallest one at the top. He brought out a wooden box from it and placed it in the middle of the desk after closing the drawer. Afterwards, he opened the box and took out two objects: the first being a metal earpiece in the shape of a hearing aid and the second a small hand-held device, which looked like an iPhone.

"What are those?" Hazel asked, leaning forward and checking them out.

"These are two more of my inventions," Nigel said. He lifted the earpiece up and showed it to her.

"This earpiece is a prototype. I haven't taken it for a test run, but it's been built with tender, loving care. Before you receive it, I want you to promise me to never show anyone this at all. The results would not end very well," he warned her.

"Okay, but what does it do?"

"This is a special communicator that would allow you to communicate with the dinosaurs," he said.

"You're kidding me!" Hazel slowly took the flexible earpiece from him. "I can talk to the dinosaurs with this thing?"

Nigel nodded. "Yes. I invented this because I wanted to be closer to the dinosaurs. However, after some time, I thought to myself 'You know, I kind of like the way I am now. Figuring out what they want through observation and interaction is fun.' Nevertheless, I decided to invent it in case my way gets tiring. When I saw you with the Gallimimus that time, I knew that you would be the perfect candidate for this. So I am giving it to you."

"Awesome!" she cheered.

Nigel then lifted the peculiar phone and Hazel held it. "Now this is a unique phone. It's made from the same materials as the parts of the time portals. I've got one too," he said as he reached into his shorts pocket and showed it to her. He then set his down on the desk and continued to talk. "With it, you'll be able to contact me regardless of where or when you are."

Hazel turned the object over in her hand. She was like a child on Christmas day. "This is so cool."

"Now you have to promise you'll never tell anyone about these objects. The consequences will be severe," Nigel informed her.

The girl looked at him and nodded once. "Promise. I'm ready."

At dawn, Hazel and Nigel traveled over to the area where the time portal usually activated. No one was around and all of the animals were asleep. Nigel illuminated the way with a flashlight. Both humans treaded quietly on the balconies and then climbed down into the dirt passage. They stopped when they were at the end. Up front, two time poles were already set up, no doubt Nigel put them there earlier. Hazel gripped both of the straps on her bag, ready to push onward.

"Do you have everything?" Nigel asked her.

"Yeah. Four of those filtered water bottles, two boxes of those power bars, a flashlight, those shades that would protect my eyes from the elements, some sunscreen, a sleeping bag, the time poles for the time portal, my first aid kit, a box of matches, and my baseball cap," she said.

Hazel also gulped softly, trying not to alert her friend and mentor that there was something else. _"I have my father's dagger too, for self-defense against predators. I don't like killing, but I'll have no choice but to use it if I'm cornered."_

"Okay, you're all set," the man told her.

He then walked forward to the time poles and activated them. A large portal about the size of the gate and showing a rippling texture like water appeared. Nigel shined his flashlight on it to help show Hazel the way. The girl looked at him and gave him a hug. He returned that hug and completed it with a pat on the shoulder.

"Good luck Hazel," Nigel said with a smile. "And be careful. If you need anything, or if you just want a break, you can always return here. Remember, the time portal poles also record the time and location that you last use them."

Hazel let go of him and replied. "Thank you. And I know."

She stares at him for a few moments before making her way into the portal. The portal rippled as she walked and disappeared through. When she did, the portal in Prehistoric Park closed. Nigel closed the poles and made his way back to his study.

65 million years ago…

When Hazel passed through the portal, she expected to be in an area filled with vegetation. She was very wrong. The place was a wasteland. She knew that even though it felt cool now, the temperatures would climb. There were rocks everywhere and the dust even covered the sky. There was no vegetation and she couldn't see any animals around.

"Wow, I feel like I'm in Egypt or something," Hazel commented. She gripped the sides of her bag and walked on.

For the past hour or so of walking, the temperatures did climb. The sun rose higher in the sky and the place turned into an oven. Hazel had to stop at one point to put on some sunscreen and put her hat on. As she walked, the terrain became more rugged. Soon, she was walking alongside small rock formations and rocky passes.

Her uneventful trek ended when she heard the clattering of rocks. She quickly turned her head to the left at the sandstone ridges. The nineteen year old saw the rocks clatter down to the base, which was only a few feet from her. Hazel stood still and looked around slowly. She checked to see if there were any dinosaurs in sight, but there weren't any. It was at this point that she started to get worried. There are predators everywhere.

After another moment of silence, she continued onward. This time, her senses were on high alert. She walked a few more steps and out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something move on the ledge. Hazel stopped again and looked at the clearing above. That open space would be the perfect place for a predator to come in. Hazel's hands trembled and she quickly took her foot long dagger out from her bag. She put her backpack back on and strapped the dagger on her side. After doing so, she heard a hiss from the northwestern side.

She gasped. Right there, walking slowly towards her, was a Velociraptor. Hazel unsheathed her blade and held it at the ready. Before she arrived in Prehistoric Park, she participated in karate and even earned a black belt. She also received training with the blade, and it was a good thing she brought one. Hazel backed up slowly and raised the small sword. The brown and blue raptor lifted its claws and hissed at her. When she got into a stance, she heard another hiss from behind her. The young girl turned and saw another raptor there, which crept up while its pack mate distracted her. She turned her back to the ledge and faced both of them.

"Oh man, this can't get any worse…" she whimpered.

But it did get worse. Behind her, more raptors jumped onto the rocks. They growled and hissed at the strange creature. No doubt there here for her meat. Hazel tried to keep her composure and prepared for battle. The carnivores surrounded her and got closer. She was cornered and there was nowhere to run. Hazel put a foot forward and got into a battle stance.

"Me and my big mouth…" Hazel complained.

Right when she said that, the raptor in front of her on the right lunged forward. It opened its jaws and brought its arms and feet together in mid-air, ready for the kill. Hazel screamed and the Velociraptor shrieked as it got closer to her.

_And there you go, the first chapter of this adventure. It's a little short, but it will get longer as the story goes on. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll post the next chapter soon._


	2. Introductions and an Intense Interview

_Hey all! As promised, here is Chapter 2 of Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure. I just looked up some information about the meteor that killed the dinosaurs and the location it was at. I am using another meteor impact as the location for the one that drove Aladar and his family from their home rather than the one that hit somewhere in Mexico. It screws around with the timeline, but this is fanfiction. Anyway, enjoy!_

**Soundtrack: Aladar Meets the Herd by James Newton Howard**

Hazel's been in all sorts of danger before, but being in a scorching hot desert and being surrounded by a pack of raptors is completely new.

The raptor screeched as it went in for the kill. Hazel screamed and quickly dodged to the left. When she did, the girl turned and sliced her dagger across the back of its thin neck. The Velociraptor screamed in agony and collapsed on the ground. Blood gushed out of the deep cut nonstop. The rest of the pack watched as their member writhed in agony in front of them.

Hazel flicked away the blood on her blade and stared at all of the raptors, who were now screeching at her. From the corner of her right eye, another one leapt for her. Like before, she sidestepped it and it collided with the two other members on that side. The dinosaurs were tangled up in a ball and were trying to get up. Hazel took this opportunity to run through the gap and make her escape. She ran up the rocky hill and towards the flat land. Thankfully, back in high school, she was considered as one of the fastest runners and participated in track and field.

The girl ran as fast as she could. The bag on her back was a liability and slowed her down. She wanted to drop it and run, but she needed the supplies in order to survive. She could hear the screeching of the raptors getting louder as they closed in on her. They must have untangled themselves and took part in the chase.

"Great, first I arrive in a scorching hot desert, and now I'm going to be a raptor's lunch! What next!?" Hazel complained. Her breathing and heart rate skyrocketed as she sped through the rocky terrain.

Unfortunately for Hazel, the raptors were very fast. It did not take much for them to catch up to her. One of them was already in close proximity. Hazel screamed as it tried to take a nip at her. Her bag was in the way and served as protection, but soon it would be after her meat. She gasped for air and wanted to stop, but she could not. She could sprint for considerable distances, but her energy is getting used up fast. Hazel screamed for help, but then remembered that she had no backup.

"Why did I agree to this!?"

The raptor screeched and snapped its thin jaws at the air again, trying to grab a hold on her bag.

"Don't eat me! I don't taste good!" she hollered.

The slender meat eater leapt from behind and was about to knock her to the ground. Its arms were up and its feet were together; the claws were spread apart, ready to tear at the target.

Just then, a screech sounded from above. The raptor turned its head up to the right and was ambushed. The flying attacker knocked the raptor away with its feet and sent it flying towards the left. The lithe dinosaur squirmed on the ground before regaining its footing. Its face now had large and bloody claw marks. It roared at the attacker in the sky, which was now turning around to deal a second blow. Hazel did not bother to look back and see what was going on. She was only thankful that whatever saved her from above gave her more time to escape.

The creature let out a loud screech that overpowered the Velociraptor's roar. When it got close enough to the raptor, it regained altitude and narrowly missed a lethal bite at the wing. The raptor landed on the ground again and gave chase to the moving targets.

The being from above turned its head at the fast runner then back at the two legged on the ground. Using the wind, it folded its wings and sped forward toward Hazel. Then, with its feet close together in front, it grabbed Hazel's bag and lifted her into the air. The girl screamed as the ground below got smaller and the world sped below her feet. Soon, she was nearly about a hundred feet in the air and flying over the wasteland. She held on to her bag straps for dear life.

She looked up and tried to make out what had just saved her. Hazel could only make out a peculiar crest on the head and a long beak. It was then she realized that a pterosaur had saved her. But did it save her only to have her as lunch for itself?

Hazel screamed again. The pterosaur lowered its head and looked down at her and its feet. It then sent out a series of screeches and cries. Hazel stopped screaming and noticed that the way it was moving its beak seemed like it was communicating with her. The girl squinted her eyes up at it because the sun had come out of the dusty clouds. The creature kept screeching and moving its head down at her then back up front.

"I'm sorry! I don't speak pterosaur! I can't tell what you're saying!" she yelled at the flying reptile.

Like before, the reptile screeched again at her, this time louder.

"What!?" Hazel screamed her question.

While it was making sounds, Hazel carefully reached into her left shorts pocket and pulled out the metal earpiece that Nigel had given her. She quickly put it into her right ear, making sure that it did not fall while doing so. The girl put it inside her ear and wrapped the long wire around the outside like one of those fancy earphones. Then, she pressed the small button that was situated near the upper corner of her ear, which was also close to the speaker portion of the machine. When she did that, the screeches and cries she heard from the pterosaur immediately turned into words.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT!? IS THAT CLEAR ENOUGH FOR YOU?" the voice, which turned out to be female, asked her.

Hazel's mouth dropped. For the first time ever, an extinct reptile had just spoken to her. She slowly put her hand down from her ear down to her side. She stammered as she tried to form words. This lasted for a few moments until finally, she said something that the female pterosaur did not expect to hear.

"OH MY GOD! THIS THING ACTUALLY WORKS!" Hazel hollered. She was overcome with feelings of excitement and shock.

"What thing? What are you talking about!?" the creature asked her.

"I can understand you now!" the human told her after letting out an excited laugh.

"Just what are you?" she said over the gust of wind.

Hazel closed her mouth to wet it up due to the winds. "Let's just land somewhere so that we could talk properly."

The pterosaur said nothing else after that. Together, they flew over the ground below for another few minutes. Then, she saw a plateau up ahead and flew over to it. The rock formation was large and rectangular in shape. The plateau, which turned out to be a huge amount of sandstone, got larger as they drew closer. The pterosaur gained altitude and flew over the ledge. Finally, she reached the middle of the formation and stopped in the air. Since they were only a few inches from the ground, she released the human, who landed on her feet then fell down to one knee. Hazel looked down on the rock, gasping for air, trembling, and sweating. The pterosaur circled above her and landed across from her, landing nimbly after flapping the wings two times. She folded her wings and took a few steps closer to her on all fours.

"Better now?" she asked her.

Hazel got up slowly and stared straight into the reptile's eyes. The girl was still shaking, but managed to give her a direct nod. "Uh huh…"

"Good. Now I'll ask again: are you alright?" she asked her. The creature spoke to her with a calm and sweet voice, one that sounds very wise.

The girl stammered again, still shocked that she is speaking to an extinct creature. A few moments later, she answered her. "Ye…yes. I'm fine…"

Now that Hazel was on the ground, she got a better look at her savior. The creature stood at about six feet, just two feet taller than her. She had dark brown skin and a small, purple crest on her head. The crest was upright, rounded at the front and ended at a point in the back, and flat.

"_It's…a Pteranodon. No wait…the crest is upright and flat. It looks like that pterosaur, but it's not,"_ she thought to herself.

"Geosternbergia…" Hazel muttered the scientific name. Like Nigel and the others back at the park, they did their homework on the dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.

The creature tilted her head to the side and lifted a ridge up. "I'm sorry, what?"

"That's what you are. A Geosternbergia," she repeated.

"I do not know what that is or what you are talking about. But I am a Pteranodon," the winged one clarified.

"Oh…" Hazel's eyes widened.

"Um…okay. But…well…it's just that your…" she stammered again, trying not to stare at the pterosaur's crest.

She then threw her hands in the air and then back down in frustration. "Agh! Nevermind."

"You are a strange one. Who and what are you?" the one with the crest inquired.

"Oh dear. I'm sorry. I guess I got carried away there," Hazel put a hand behind her head and she let out an embarrassing laugh. "My name is Hazel. I'm a human."

The Geosternbergia, or Pteranodon in this case, gave her a slow nod. "Hazel…I have never seen you or your kind before. Are you a type of dinosaur?"

Hazel shook her head and laughed. "No, I'm not. I'm a type of mammal. And my kind are very…unique around here."

"A mammal? What are those?" she wondered.

"You've never seen a mammal before?" Hazel put her hands on her hips.

The Pteranodon shook her head as a way of saying no.

Hazel slowly blinked her eyes. "Wow…okay then…uh…mammals are unlike dinosaurs. You see, we lack scales and are warm-blooded."

"_That and humans won't appear on this earth until millions of years from now…"_

The Pteranodon kept staring at her and did not reply to that. Obviously, she had never seen a mammal before in her life. Hazel knew that the first mammals started appearing during the late Cretaceous, however she did know that they weren't very common at the time. The girl cleared her throat and abandoned the subject to save the flying reptile any more confusion.

"Anyway, thank you for saving me from those raptors…whoever you are."

"Flia," she immediately answered. "My name is Flia."

Hazel did not lose eye contact with her. "Flia huh? Nice to meet you."

"What are you doing here in a place like this? It's not wise to roam around an area filled with predators," Flia asked her, changing the subject.

"Oh…um…you see…" Hazel tried to form a sentence and hide her true intentions. _"I got to think of something quick…_"

It took her a few seconds, but she finally came up with a good alibi. "My home got destroyed and I've been wandering around, finding a new place to live. And this desert definitely does not suit me."

Flia narrowed her eyes. "I see. So the fireball had affected you too."

The girl tilted her head a little in confusion. _"Fireball?"_ She then straightened up, realizing what she meant. _"Oh that's right. She's referring to the meteor that hit the earth."_

The female Pteranodon sighed and looked away. "You're lucky you survived. Not everyone escaped the blast."

Hazel looked down in thought. Even though she wasn't there when it happened, she definitely felt a sense of sadness. This Pteranodon must have lost her friends and family because of that thing. While she was deep in thought, Flia could not help but stare at the metal earpiece inside her ear.

"What is that thing inside your head?" she questioned her, causing Hazel to revert her attention to Flia.

"Oh," she pointed to the special hearing aid. "This thing? Um, yeah about that...after you carried me away from the raptors, you were screeching to me and I couldn't understand it. This thing in my ear allows me to communicate with you. That's why I was so surprised when you started speaking."

Flia leaned in a little closer until she was down to Hazel's head level. "So, in other words, you can understand me?"

Hazel nodded. "That's right. Without it, we wouldn't be speaking right now."

"How could you not understand me before? Everyone understands everybody."

The girl does not respond to that. Instead, she follows up with another question. "So now that you know I'm looking for a new home; tell me, why are you here? I mean, there isn't much food or water around in this place."

Flia cleared her throat and spoke in a noble tone. "Well, like you, I'm a traveler. Actually, I'm a scout for a herd."

"What!?" Hazel nearly fell on her butt at the statement.

"Okay…" Flia was a little surprised at how the newcomer took it. "As a scout, it's my duty to search for safe passages, keep an eye out for enemies, and find food and water."

The human shook her head. "No not that! You just mentioned something about a herd of dinosaurs!"

The pterosaur's head retreated and she turned around, looking at the next long plateau that looked to be about a mile away.

"Yes…that I did. The herd that I scout for is just passed that rock formation," she said, pointing a wing in that direction. "Or at least, that's the last place I saw them. They're most likely out of that area by now. If so, then I just follow their tracks."

"Whoa…and you're a scout. That's a pretty neat job," Hazel walked up next to her.

Flia looked in the other direction away from her. Hazel did not know why she did that. Perhaps she was embarrassed about something?

"The leader of the herd gave me that position. It's not that big of a deal…"

The girl widened her eyes again. This time is just full of surprises. _"Wow...I've heard of groups of animals using a hierarchy system but this is unreal!"_

"So where are you headed?"

"The Nesting Grounds," Flia turned her head to the left, facing the human.

"The Nesting Grounds? I'm guessing that's where the herd goes to breed?" Hazel guessed, and it was a good one.

"I've never heard anyone say it like that before, but yes, that is where the herd goes to have their babies," she replied.

Hazel frowned. Their breeding grounds most likely got caught up in the meteor blast. That impact destroyed everything in its path. If these animals are headed to that place, chances are they'll be walking into a burning wasteland.

"Not to criticize or anything, but that fireball was huge! The impact must have destroyed everything within a thousand, no perhaps a million mile radius! I don't know if your so-called Nesting Grounds exists anymore," Hazel said with a hint of urgency.

Flia growled loudly. She faced her and smacked her wings on the ground, causing Hazel to back up a few steps. "Don't say that! Our home is safe! It's still there!"

The human, who stood with her right side towards the creature and her arm up front in defense, was shocked by what the Pteranodon had said. Flia huffed at her for a few moments; her face was somewhat close to Hazel's. She then closed her eyes and returned to her normal, regal looking pose.

"Forgive me. I lost control there."

Hazel took a few steps toward her and stopped. She looked down first then back up at Flia. "No, you had every right to be mad at me. I shouldn't have asked that question."

Flia let out a guilty sigh. "To be honest, I've been thinking the same thing too."

The girl narrowed her eyes at her. "You have?"

The Pteranodon nodded. "Yes. I tried to tell Kron the same thing, which resulted in a beating," she said and lifted her left wing up. Hazel took a step forward and noticed that there was a huge dark scratch there. She let out a quick breath and retreated to her original position.

"He said if I ever spoke of that again, he would kill me," Flia explained, putting her wing down.

"This Kron doesn't sound like a very nice guy," Hazel commented.

"He isn't, but I kind of see his way of thinking when he beat me. If anyone in the herd received word of that, there would be panic and hysteria."

The girl frowned. "That's true." She then looked at the plateau for a minute and then back at Flia, who was now looking at her marked side.

"So…" Hazel said.

"So….what?" Flia responded, reverting her attention back to her.

"I've been thinking. Since we kind of share the same goal, me with finding a new home and you guys breeding, I was wondering if I could tag along with the herd."

Flia gasped. "Wha-? Travel with the herd?"

Hazel nodded. "Yeah! I mean, there's safety in numbers right?"

The pterosaur shook her head in doubt. "Um...I don't know. Our leader Kron doesn't take kindly to strangers."

Hazel frowned and gave her the 'puppy eyes' look. Most of the time, it works for her. But this is the ancient past and she's not sure if this trick would work on a prehistoric creature like a Pteranodon. She is hoping that it does.

"Aw come on," she clasped her hands together and brought them up like she was praying. "Please? I don't feel very safe around here."

Flia looks at the plateau and stares at it. She lets out a sigh and turns her head back to Hazel. "Alright. But be prepared for a series of questions, and possibly an argument if he's having a bad day."

The girl grins and jumps once in the air. "YES!"

The Pteranodon turns her back to her and outstretches her wings. Afterwards, she turns her head so that one eye is looking at the human. When she did this, Hazel could make out how long her wingspan was. Even though she did not have any means to measure anything at this moment, she estimated Flia's wingspan to be about twenty five feet in length.

"_Wow…that's big."_

Flia cleared her throat and gestured her head towards her back. "Climb aboard."

Hazel lifted an eyebrow up. "Wait, what? You mean, ride on you?"

"Yes…" she replied in a sassy tone. "Or would you prefer that I carry you with my feet?"

The dark haired girl shook her head nervously. "Um, no. Riding's okay."

At that moment, Hazel lifted her arms up and held onto the pterosaur's winged arms for support. She then put her left foot on one of Flia's angled legs and used it to hoist herself up. When she did that, she also did the same to the other foot. After doing so, she slid both of her hands towards her neck and wrapped her arms around it. She made sure not to hold onto the neck as it would choke Flia. Instead, she held her hands down at the neck base, making it easier for her. When Hazel was done, she also saw that her head was very close to the crest. She retreated a little so that she wouldn't hit it at any time.

"Secured?" Flia asked her.

"I guess so…" Hazel gulped.

The Pteranodon turned towards the ledge and reared her winged arms back. "Alright, now hang on!"

Flia jumped off the ledge and nose-dived towards the ground. Hazel let out a yelp and gripped her arms tighter. They only fell for about five feet. At that height, Flia angled her body up and flapped her wings. The human, whose eyes were closed the entire time, opened them and saw the world pass them below. She slowly looked straight ahead and saw the shape of the rock formation get larger. The Pteranodon gained a bit more altitude and within a few minutes, they passed over the rocky ledge. When they got over that, the terrain became a flat, rocky plain. Flia turned slightly to the left and flew towards the sun. Hazel did not see it, but below, there were various dinosaur tracks.

They flew on for the next hour or so. The sun had already started to fall closer to the horizon. Hazel did not notice the day turn into afternoon, as her recent encounters had passed the time. As they flew, the girl kept thinking about the Nesting Grounds and whether it did survive the blast. These dinosaurs may be walking into a death trap and she needs to think of a way to coax them into leaving with her. Hazel pushed that thought aside because it was too early to think that. She then thought of another question that she neglected to ask Flia about.

"Hey Flia?" she called to her.

"Hm?" Flia sounded in a calm tone, even though they were high up in the air.

"How did the herd survive the me…I mean…fireball?"

The Pteranodon turned her head to the back, one eye looking at the human who hung on to her. "The summer grounds we stayed in were situated close to a set of mountains. Those mountains contained caves with deep tunnels. Those tunnels led to hidden caverns. Most of us were smart to go there…while others weren't so lucky."

Hazel frowned and layed her head down onto Flia's neck. "Oh…well I don't know where that is, but that was a good idea."

Flia said nothing else. The rest of the trip was a quiet one. They flew on for another few miles. Even though they were flying over a natural death trap, Hazel enjoyed the scenery. It's not every day that she gets to travel on a pterosaur and pass over the world below. However, even though it was late afternoon, the sun still heated the land relentlessly. The wind felt warm against their bodies and that did not help in cooling them down. Hazel also had to wipe the sweat from her forehead every few minutes or so.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Hazel spotted something in the distance. She had to lean over to the side in order to get a better view. Another few flaps later, she saw that it was a group of creatures. Whatever they were, they were huge and they appeared to be staying in one place; most likely resting. Hazel had to squint her eyes into order to make out what they were. Her eyes widened when she figured it out.

"It's…a group of dinosaurs…" she gasped.

"Yes," Flia added. "That is the herd."

Flia flew in closer and then turned to the left. Hazel had to grip her arms tighter and lock her legs close to Flia's just to hang on. After the brown flying reptile curved away, she then leaned in the other direction to circle around the herd. This gave Hazel the opportunity to see what type of herd this was. The sight astonished her.

"There's so many dinosaurs…" Hazel whispered.

As they circled around and got lower, Hazel named each and every one of the dinosaurs in the huge group. She was surprised to see that this herd was not made up of one type of animal, but of many. This herd had a huge diversity! She had learned about the herbivores in the African plains and that they travel together, but she did not know that the same had applied in prehistoric times.

"_Let's see,"_ she thought to herself. _"There's Pachyrhinosaurus, Styracosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Iguanadon, Struthiomimus…" _

Hazel squinted her eyes and noticed that there were smaller dinosaurs in the herd too. _"Stygimolych, juvenile dinosaurs, and…"_

The human gasped when she noticed the biggest member of the herd. It was a sauropod and it towered over the others like ants. She witnessed it lie down on its belly and observe the other members in the herd. Hazel noticed that it was also accompanied by a smaller Styracosaurus and that they were somewhat a ways off from the herd. However, Hazel was mostly fixated on the sauropod, whom she easily named because of its shape and appearance.

"_A Brachiosaurus!? Here!? But they were supposed to have died off in the Jurassic period! How did this one survive?"_

Hazel was about to think more on the subject when Flia flew away from that side. She circled over to the front of the herd and pointed diagonally towards the ground. The ground got larger and the herd at the side got larger. While descending, Hazel saw that there were three Iguanadons standing together at the front. The one at the far left was positioned the furthest in front of the trio. Hazel assumed this one to be Kron, the leader of the herd.

Flia descended towards the trio and leaned back, causing Hazel to hang on again. The Pteranodon flapped her wings twice and landed onto the solid ground. When she lowered her wings, her passenger quickly retreated her arms and dismounted. Hazel waited behind Flia, waiting for the right moment to reveal herself.

The leader, who had a purple texture and a slight bump on the snout, slowly turned his head and looked down at the Pteranodon that was a few feet from him. He turned and stood in front of her. His eyes were black and it appeared that he was staring into her soul.

"Flia, what did your eyes see?" the leader asked her. His tone of voice was deep had a hint of stubbornness to it.

"A desolate wasteland," she replied with confidence. Hazel could not help but compare her to a soldier speaking with his superior. "Nothing grows here and there is no water in sight. The raptors are still trailing all around us, waiting for an opportunity to feast."

The Iguanadon let out a snort and closed his eyes. "Very well, you are dismissed." He was about to turn his back to her until she stopped him.

"Thank you sir, but there is another matter I wish to speak to you about."

He shot a glare at her and narrowed his eyes. "And that is?"

Flia swallowed, keeping her calm and composure. "I discovered a wanderer a few miles from us that was being attacked by a pack of raptors. I saved her and she wishes to travel with us."

Kron let out a huff. "And how does this involve me?"

"She would like your permission, sir. She means us no harm," Flia stated.

The purple Iguanadon took a few steps toward her, keeping his strict gaze onto the female Pteranodon. "And where is this…thing you speak of?"

Hazel gulped and took a deep breath. She then walked out from behind Flia and stood next to her. Kron did not show it, but he was very surprised to see her. He raised his head a little higher, as if to make himself look larger, even though he already was. Compared to him, Hazel only stood up until a foot below his upper arm joint, where his arm met his body.

While Kron kept staring down at the newcomer, the other two Iguanadons that were a few feet from him approached on both sides. The one on his right, a male with a bumpier snout and had a darker brown tint than Flia's, scrutinized her the same way. The one on Kron's left was a slender female with a lighter purple accompanied with brown. Unlike the other two, she only widened her eyes and did not give her any negative expressions.

"What is this?" Kron asked in a stricter tone.

"This is the creature that I spoke of. The one that I rescued," Flia replied.

Hazel swallowed and waved her hand once. "Um...hi. My name is Hazel. Flia here saved me a while back and I would like to join the herd in this trip."

The leader let out a snort. "And why would I agree to that?"

"Because Flia saved me and I would like to return her the favor. I could assist her in her scouting duty," Hazel answered.

The large brown one on the left growled and stomped a hoof down. "You? Just what are you anyway? You do not have wings, horns, a tail, no sharp teeth, or claws!"

Hazel was intimidated by this one's action and gruff voice. She took a step back and her arm was up in defense. Judging by how the two males were at judging her, it looked like her request to join the herd would be rebuked. Even so, she did her best to control her trembling and retain her calm composure.

The brown one looked next to him at Kron. "I say leave her with the raptors. She is of no use to us."

"You do not sport any way of defense. And I do not just pick a random creature from anywhere and call them a scout," the leader spoke and stared down at the small human.

Hazel clenched her fists and furrowed her eyebrows to show her determination. Being small is one thing, but being called useless had definitely pushed her buttons. "Look, I can defend myself!"

The girl gripped her scabbard at her side and placed her hand on the blade's hilt. She unsheathed it in a fast, swiping motion, which made the three dinosaurs go back a step to avoid it. They had never seen anything like it: it was shiny, small, yet sharp like a horn. The blade itself appeared to be about a foot long, looking more like a sword than a dagger. She then returned it back into its sturdy black sheath.

"I held my own against the Velociraptors for quite some time! One of them was about to attack me from behind until Flia swooped in and saved me. I cannot fly but I can help her with her scouting. I can help her spot danger, look for safe passages, and help find food, shelter, and more importantly, water. Two eyes in the sky is better than one."

Kron stepped forward and let out a soft hiss. "Your means of defense appear worthless to me. I am impressed that you managed to defend yourself against predators like those. But just because you held your own does not make you worthy of a higher position. Go and live the last moments of your life as you please."

"Excuse me!" the angry human retorted. "But I'm tougher than I look!"

"I said…leave," he coolly told her.

"But!"

"Buzz off shorty! We've got all the scouts we need and we don't need help from one like you!" the hefty Iguanadon retorted at her, which made her go into a battle stance.

Hazel stares at him in anger. Flia looked at both of them and prepared herself to defend Hazel if he attacked. The human growled and stared deeply into his eyes, showing that she was ready to fight him if he started one. Kron utters a 'humph' and turns his back to her. The female Iguanadon follows and catches up to him.

"Kron, let her come with us. She can help Flia and thus aid us in our survival. She also owes Flia her gratitude and she would like to repay that debt by helping her and you," she explained to him.

"I have never seen the likes of her and she had appeared out of nowhere. Therefore, I do not trust her. This stranger also does not know the ways of this herd."

"Then Flia can teach her. This Hazel does not appear to be a threat. Please, let her come with us," she implored to him."

Kron stopped walking and looked down. His associate also stopped and stared at him, waiting for an answer. Back with Hazel, she had just gotten into an argument with the Iguanadon. He had been telling her that all of the other scouts could take on larger predators while she could not. That and her stature made her seem like she wouldn't last a day in these conditions. Hazel was just about to fight back with her statement when she saw Kron and the female walk up to her. She relaxed from her stance and stood straight, looking up at the leader.

"Relax Bruton," he told the other male. The one known as Bruton backed off and stood in level with his superior. "Perhaps you do possess some skill. Before I make my final decision, tell me, what are you?"

"I'm a human," she responded.

Bruton lowered his head and shot a glare at her. "And where do you come from, Hazel the human?"

Hazel swallowed again, her throat dry due to defending herself from Bruton. "Very far away. My home was destroyed by the fireball and I am searching for a new one."

The leader squinted his eyes at her. His expression reminded Hazel of a dictator staring down at his lowly peasants. Except this one was a lot taller and could easily kill her if he wanted to. Kron grunted and turned away from her. The hefty Iguanadon next to him did the same and left her. The female also turned and followed but was the last to go.

"Very well, you may come with us."

Both human and Pteranodon looked at each other and smiled, knowing that the discussion went well. The smiles disappeared they looked and saw Kron turn his head at them.

"I am only doing this for our survival. If you get in my way or question my authority, this land and the predators will not be the ones you will worry about!" With that said, he storms off and leaves the duo.

The pink colored female turns her head at them and gives Hazel a reassuring smile. "Don't mind him. That's how my brother treats newcomers," she turns and walks off then adds another to her statement. "No matter how unique they are."

Once they were far enough, Hazel takes a deep breath and holds on to her knees. She stares at the ground and takes in deep breaths. Her ordeal was over.

"_Man, that was the most intense interview ever!"_ she screamed in her head.

The dark haired girl straightens up and looks back at Flia, her face filled with fear. "Yeesh…that was harsh."

Flia gave her an 'I told you so' look. "I warned you about him."

Hazel folded her arms across her chest and smiled. "Hey, I made the cut. As long as I don't get in his way or piss him off, then I'll be fine."

The Pteranodon chuckles and turns her head at the herd. The dinosaurs were already on their bellies and preparing to rest. There were so many dinosaurs, but she had her eyes on the ones in the back. Flia looks at Hazel and then to the herd, particularly the ones in the back.

"Come. I want to introduce you to my friends," she told her.

"Your friends?" Hazel wondered.

"Yes. Two old women that have much more respect towards anyone than Kron."

Hazel thinks about this for a minute and walks with her. They walked through the resting herd. Most of which were curiously watching Hazel and some were sniffing her as she passed. She did not mind them, but did remain quiet and calm. Hazel also pet their heads a few times when she had the chance. While they walked on, Hazel noticed that they were headed towards the Brachiosaurus and the Styracosaurus in the back. She hoped that what Flia had told her about her friends was true.

_Whew, there we go. Chapter 2 is finished! So Hazel not only fessed up to a pack of raptors, but also to two Iguanadons with attitudes. What else is in store for her? And will she live up to Kron's expectations as his newest scout? Find out next time on Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure._


	3. The First Night

_Hello guys. Darksage95 here, still on her quest to fulfill her dream of writing stories. I am currently trying to create a soundtrack for this story and I will post the results later on. Now before we get on with the story, I do not own Disney's Dinosaur or Prehistoric Park. And I do not own the companies that own them. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!_

"_So, a summary of what's happened to me so far,"_ Hazel thought as she walked through the crowd of fatigued dinosaurs. _"Nigel sends me on a mission to find a herd to bring to Prehistoric Park, I almost get eaten by a pack of Velociraptors, I meet a Pteranodon named Flia, and I get permission to join the herd by a jerkass Iguanadon named Kron."_

Hazel stayed close behind Flia while they walked. Flia, whose specialty was in the air and not on land, walked on her arms and feet. Earlier, she told Hazel she could move faster, but to an extent. Thankfully, her slow walking pace is the same as the human's. The duo walked past a few dinosaurs who were either tending to their legs or to their children.

When they did, Hazel came up with an idea. It had some flaws and the chances of it working seemed promising. _"This Nesting Grounds they're headed to most likely got destroyed in the impact. I want to save them and bring them back to my time...but then that would mean discussing this with Kron."_ Hazel shuddered at the thought of arguing with the stubborn leader. From what she had learned from a few minutes ago, Kron takes pride in his leadership. And questioning it would only result in an immediate "expulsion". _"If this so-called Nesting Grounds did survive, I can let them settle down for a while then bring them home before the fatal meteor hits. If not, my theory would be proven correct and I would have to bring them back anyway. Hopefully by then, Kron would have a better mind-set. Either way, these dinos would be safe and would be given a second chance at Prehistoric Park."_

The girl pondered this the rest of the way. Hazel frowned at the thought of this herd dying before given this second chance. The idea sounds great, but she knew that a number of these dinosaurs would not live to even see Prehistoric Park. Hazel knew that if the distance to the Nesting Grounds and the lack of resources would not kill them, then either the climate or the stalking predators would.

"_I guess I'll have to stay with these guys and make sure they get to their breeding grounds safely. And hopefully, I can survive this trek too,"_ she told herself while she avoided stepping on the sleeping Microceratops.

Flia stopped and outstretched her wing to block Hazel. She stopped too and her view was blocked by the thin membrane. The petite girl looked at Flia, an eye on her.

"Stay behind me until the right moment," was all she said.

Hazel nodded and stayed behind the Pteranodon. They walked on for another minute until Flia stopped. When she did, Hazel nearly bumped into her. The girl crouched a little to make sure whatever was up front would not see her.

Flia smiled, knowing that she was now among friends. The old Styracosaurus was already on her belly and was chatting with the immense form of the Brachiosaurus, who was doing the same thing. While they did that, the little Ankylosaurus was moving a rock back and forth with his paws.

"Hello ladies," the pterosaur greeted.

The two dinosaurs turned their attention towards her. The ceratopsian had not trouble doing so, but as for the sauropod, she had to maneuver her neck so that she would lean in closer to her. As for the Ankylosaur, he stopped playing and stared at the brown pterosaur while panting.

"Hey Flia," the stout dinosaur greeted with a nod. The voice sounded like an elder that had seen everything. It was low and had a tough tone, yet sounded friendly.

"Greetings Flia. How are you today?" the Brachiosaurus asked her. Hazel compared the voice of the sauropod to her own grandmother, who sounded the same way. This voice had an accent to it and a noble, proper tone. This one sounded very polite and would not hurt a fly.

Flia spread out her wings and shook them for a bit before returning them to their folded posture. "Fine, but tired. This place is relentless; the sun fries my back the higher I go and the wind doesn't do a very good job of cooling. I would give anything, even my wings, for some water and a cool breeze."

"Girl, you've been flying for us for years. You ought to be used to this by now," the gruff female spoke.

"I know Eema, but still. It's hard to believe all of you make this trek every year," she replied, looked at the Styracosaurus.

"Plus," the one known as Eema added. "we're all suffering here. It's only a matter of time before one of us drops dead and becomes fast food."

Hazel put a hand on her mouth and snickered quietly. These old women sounded funny, especially Eema. She would not mind hanging out with them.

"Oh Eema! Stop it! You're scaring me!" the Brachiosaurus reared her head back slowly and glared at her.

"Well it's true Baylene! With the pace that we're going at, not all of us are going to make it to the Nesting Grounds!"

"No! I refuse to become dinner! And stop your pessimism, you're freaking me out!"

Both dinosaurs got into a verbal confrontation. Eema trying to ingrain the truth into Baylene and Baylene who was trying to make her stop. Flia put her winged hand on her temples and groaned. Hazel did the same and wanted to make them stop by showing herself. This was a fantastic way to make a first impression to someone who was not in front of them…

Flia had had enough. She smacked her wing on the ground and screamed at them.

"Will you two knock it off!? You both are acting like hatchlings!"

Immediately, both old women stopped their bickering and stared at the angry Flia. Hazel froze and did not breathe for a few seconds. Her face was full of fear. If Kron or any carnivore would not scare her to death, then perhaps an angry Flia would.

Flia breathed in slowly and calmed down. "We'll survive. We just have to stay strong. Arguing will not help us get to the Nesting Grounds."

With that said, the old Styracosaurus turned to Baylene and apologized. The other did the same as well.

"I'm sorry Eema, for my rude behavior."

"No Baylene, it's my fault. I scared you into thinking of dying."

Baylene gave her a reassuring nod. "Apology accepted. Just don't do that again."

With that said and done, Flia clapped her hands…er…wings… together. "Okay, now that we're not freaking out anymore, I would like to introduce you to someone."

Eema widened her eyes and gave her a mischevious grin. "Oh? A new friend? Or a boyfriend?" She giggled at that. Flia resisted starting an argument, even though it was just a joke. She cleared her throat and spoke again.

"No. Far from it. She's a little shy and this is her first time in a herd."

The immense Brachiosaurus shuddered. "Oh my goodness…and she heard the two of us arguing. She probably has a bad impression of us now." Baylene let out a guilty groan and lowered her head in shame.

"Actually…" Hazel said as she walked out from behind Flia. "I think the two of you are fine old women."

The three dinosaurs gasped when they saw the strange creature walk out from behind the Pteranodon and stand in front of them. Like the other dinosaurs Hazel encountered, these three had never seen a human before. Or any other mammal. Now that Hazel got out of hiding, she finally had a good look at Flia's friends. The Styracosaurus, whom she heard was named Eema, was short and stout. There were wrinkles all over her body and most of her horns were blunt, all of which were signs of old age. Hazel's height was up to her eye ridges. As for Baylene, she too had tiny wrinkles all over her body. Her immense size dwarfed the small human by a lot. Finally, there was Url. To Hazel, he was about the size of a large dog. The Ankylosaur got up and ran to her. The girl put her hands up in defense, but was unable to stop him. Url pinned her down to the ground and Hazel landed with a grunt. The Ankylosaur then started licking Hazel all over her face. Trapped and now drenched in slobber, Hazel couldn't help but laugh while he did that.

Eema giggled. "Oh my goodness. Url's warmed up to you. He normally doesn't do that to strangers."

Hazel pushed him back and petted him on the head. "Aw, he's so cute!"

Url panted and licked her hand before returning to Eema's side. He lay down on his stomach and put his head down to sleep. The human wiped her face and hands of the slobber. She couldn't help but compare him to a little puppy; a huge, armored, and heavy puppy.

Hazel cleared her throat and faced the two women. "Hi, I'm Hazel. I'm new here."

"Hazel huh?" Eema said, tilting her head to the side then back. "I've never seen anything like you before."

The human laughs and puts a hand on the back of her neck. "Yeah, I'm not from around here." She then returned her hand back down to her side.

"My my…" Baylene said, causing Hazel to look up at her. The elder Brachiosaurus lowered her head until she was nearly at eye level with her.

"For one so young and small, you've survived all by yourself? Where is your family?"

Hazel gulped at that statement. On the outside, she kept her composure and did not show any suspicious reactions. However, on the inside, she wanted to smack herself. _"I hate lying…but I don't have much of a choice on this one. They'll never understand if I tell them the truth…"_

"They died when the fireball hit the earth."

Baylene frowned and brought her head back up. "Oh dear, forgive me. I'm so sorry…"

Hazel was about to ask why when Eema beat her to it. "Oh Baylene..." the elder said and looked at Hazel, who was also looking at her for an answer. "She's the last of her kind."

The human put a hand on her mouth and felt like shedding a tear. "Oh…I'm so sorry."

The Styracosaurus cleared her throat, thus turning all the attention to her again. "The name's Eema," she said. She then gestured to the Ankylosaurus who was sleeping soundly next to her. "And this little guy is Url."

Hazel bowed respectfully then straightened up. "Eema, Url, Baylene, nice to meet you."

"So you're going to be traveling with us?" Eema asked her.

"That's right," Hazel replied. "Had to get permission from the leader to do so."

At that statement, both of the ladies gasped. The human did not show any reaction to that, as she could understand why they would be surprised. It looked like this group was already fed up with Kron.

"That stubborn scoundrel of a leader accepted your invitation!?" Baylene asked in surprise.

"Girl, I'm surprised he didn't kill you on sight! You've got guts fessin' up to Kron!" Eema commented.

"She's a brave one. However," Flia spoke next. "It's Neera we should really be thanking."

Hazel tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Neera? The female Iguanadon that was with him?"

Flia nodded. "Yes. That's Kron's sister."

The human's jaw dropped at that response. "Sister!? But…they're nothing alike!"

"Humph…" Eema grunted at that. "She's nice and all. But don't forget, she's loyal to Kron."

Hazel's eyes widened. She had a sister back in her time and they both had different personalities. Unlike herself, her sister was quiet and shy while she was outgoing and gutsy…most of the time. But she still couldn't believe what she had just heard. How could Neera put up with her brother's ways? Hazel felt thankful that Neera convinced Kron to let her come along, however, because of what Flia had just told her, she felt a little confused and wary of the leader's sister.

"Not to mention Kron keeps pushing the herd onward while we have trouble catching up," Baylene sighed.

"What!?" Hazel retorted. "That's terrible! Why not just tell him to slow down?"

"I tried hun. But he didn't care," Eema shook her head in disappointment.

Hazel scoffed. "That jerk. What kind of a leader does that?"

No one replied to that response. The silence was broken when Flia spoke up.

"Anyway…" Flia started, which knocked Hazel back into reality. "Kron said Hazel could stay as long as she doesn't get in his way or question his authority. Hazel here also told him that she could help me with the scouting; two eyes in the sky is better than one."

Baylene lowered her head again to the human and looked all over her body. "You can fly? But you do not have any wings."

"No, I don't. Although I wish I did. I'll be riding on Flia's back while she's up there," Hazel replied.

"That so? Hope you're not afraid of heights then," Eema chuckled.

Hazel chuckled too. "Don't worry, I'm not. But if I'm getting chased by a predator up there then maybe."

Everyone, including Hazel herself, laughed at that statement. Everyone except Url, since he was sleeping. When Hazel stopped laughing, she noticed that the area was getting darker. The terrain shown with a light brown a while ago, but now, the color was getting darker. She turned around and saw the sun going down the rugged horizon. Hazel was surprised at the amount of time that had passed since she arrived.

Flia turned around and noticed the same thing. She then returned towards the group. "Well we should get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be another hard one."

Eema lays her head on the ground while still looking at them. "Flia, every day is a hard one."

Hazel turns around and flexes her arms out front. She felt and heard her fingers crack as she stretched. This followed with a long yawn, which she covered with a hand after she finished her stretch.

"Yeah it's been a long day for me. I'll hit the sack too."

The human went over to the middle of the group and put her light brown backpack down. Hazel knelt down, untwined the wire (for extra safety) and unzipped the back pocket. From there, she took out a huge forest green sleeping bag and undid the straps that kept it together. She rolled the sleeping bag out next to her and positioned it until it was parallel to the three dinosaurs. Flia, Eema, and Baylene watched in curiosity as she performed this normal act.

"What on earth is that?" Eema asked.

Hazel finished zipping up her bag and locking it up when she said that. She then put her bag next to her after she lay down on her portable sleeping utility while looking at Eema.

"Oh this? It's a sleeping bag. It makes sleeping on the ground more comfortable for me."

"Ooh...got another one of those?" Eema winked at her.

Hazel chuckled then shook her head. "Sorry, only got one."

"_And you wouldn't fit either…"_ Hazel thought.

"Anyway, goodnight," she said and snuggled into her sleeping bag.

All of them replied and told each other the same thing. Flia then proceeded on to Baylene, who had now lay her head and neck down and climbed on her back from the tail. Flia had good balance and did not have a problem making her way to the middle of the sauropod's back. The Pteranodon stretched her wings out and wrapped them around her body. Finally, to make herself more comfortable, she lowered her down and closed her eyes.

Later that night, Hazel woke up and snuck away from the group with the bag in her hand. The atmosphere was cool and refreshing compared to the day before. Only a few clouds were in the sky and all was quiet, save for the snores from the dinosaurs. Hazel crept quietly away from her friends, not making a sound. She knew better than to venture far, so she only stayed a few feet from them.

After looking around to make sure she was not being watched, she knelt down and took out one box of power bars from the middle pocket. It had thirty wrapped bars and each one represented three meals. Hazel opened the box and took out three silver rectangles. They were only a few inches in length and were as thick as a regular Nature Valley bar. She quietly opened one of them and started eating. Each bar was of a different flavor and the one she was eating had peanut butter, chocolate, and caramel. Hazel wanted to savor each bite, but she knew that staying out in the open much longer would attract predators. After finishing the first one, she moved onto the next two. The second had strawberry cream while the third had berries in it. Hazel finished the bars and stashed the wrappers into the small pocket in the front. After zipping it up, she unzipped her bag and took out the first water bottle. The bottle, which she bought from a Best Buy store along with three others before she arrived at Prehistoric Park, was size extra-large. This was perfect for hiking or spending time out in a desert. Hazel drank a few gulps and then returned it into the bag after closing it.

All of the rations she had would allow her to survive in conditions like this for a few weeks. However, with the luxury she had, she knew she had to keep this a secret from her friends. Hazel frowned at this and felt guilty.

"_I would share them my rations, but I only have enough for myself. Even if I do give them some, they won't be enough for them. That and it most likely wouldn't be good for them. If I do give them some of my rations, they would be dependent on me for energy. I hate to do this, but I'll have to keep my rations a secret."_

Hazel sighed and made her way back to the group. After setting her bag down and herself onto the sleeping bag, she took out the phone that Nigel gave her from her shorts pocket. She pressed the power button at the top and the screen brightened up. Thankfully, the phone was on silent and no sound came out. While the main menu loaded, Hazel put a hand in her ear and felt around for the communicator. Hazel had to keep it on as it would allow her to listen for any dinosaur that would try and talk to her in the night. It did not hurt while she wore it in her sleep as Nigel had made sure it wouldn't. After confirming that it was there, a picture of herself posing next to Nigel at the entrance to the park showed on the screen. Hazel smiled and pressed the text message option at the bottom of the screen. On the left of the app was the phone book app while the right had the recent calls app. This was built to be like a smartphone and Hazel loved it. When the text message screen popped up, showing a blank white screen with a message box at the bottom, Hazel typed away at the keyboard at the bottom.

**Hazel**: Spending the night in a desert, 65 million years ago.

**Nigel**: Are you alright? It's good to hear from you. Did you find any dinosaurs?

**Hazel**: Yes. Even better, it's a herd.

**Nigel**: Wonderful! What dinosaurs are in the herd?

**Hazel**: All sorts. From what I've observed, there are: Iguanadons, Parasaurolophus, Microceratops, Struthiomimus, Styrachosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, an Ankylosaurus, a Pteranodon, Stygimolych, and a single Brachiosaurus. Apparently, this herd has a hierarchy too.

**Nigel**: A herd with diversity! Amazing! These animals are from different regions too! But how can there be a Brachiosaurus? They should have died out in the early Cretaceous.

**Hazel**: Well, this one survived, and is the last of her kind. Baylene is a tough girl :)

**Nigel**: Baylene? You named them?

**Hazel**: No. They have names. The communicator you gave me works.

**Nigel**: You spoke to them!?

**Hazel**: Yes. I even joined the herd too. Wasn't easy. Their leader is a prick.

**Nigel**: Oh my goodness! This discovery is much more mind-boggling than my discovery about the meteors!

**Hazel**: :)

**Nigel**: So you plan on rescuing this herd?

**Hazel**: Yes, but it's going to take me a while.

**Nigel**: Why?

**Hazel**: This herd is traveling to their breeding grounds. Some of them know that the meteor destroyed everything in its path, but others refuse to believe that their home was destroyed. I would try to tell their leader Kron to stop and come with me, but he would kill me if I did.

**Nigel**: Well, he sounds like a charming bloke. So what's your plan?

**Hazel**: I'm going to travel with them. I'm going to make sure they make it there safely.

**Nigel**: What!? But a number of them will not make it!

**Hazel**: I know that. But I have a plan. If the Nesting Grounds survived, then I will leave them alone for a while and then return to bring them back just before the destined meteor hits. If not, I'll bring the herd back to the park. Either way, these dinosaurs will survive.

**Nigel**: Sound plan. But why not bring them back now?

**Hazel**: The Nesting Grounds is their home. They would need time to settle first. It's probably their only home too, considering the effects of the fireball.

**Nigel**: Fireball?

**Hazel**: Er...meteor. Their terminology is kinda sinking in right now.

**Nigel**: All right. I'll follow with your plan. How long will you be gone?

**Hazel**: I don't know. Days, perhaps a week or two. Perhaps a little shorter if Kron's that stubborn.

**Nigel**: Okay. Well get some rest. You've got a big day of traveling tomorrow.

**Hazel**: Thanks. And scouting

**Nigel**: Scouting!?

**Hazel**: I made a new friend. Her name's Flia and she's a Pteranodon. She serves as the herd's eye in the sky. I'm her new scouting assistant.

**Nigel**: Hazel, you never cease to amaze me.

**Nigel**: Sleep well and good luck

**Hazel**: Thanks and goodnight

Hazel closed the message app and pressed the power button at the top. The screen on the phone turned off and all was dark again. Hazel returned the phone back into her shorts pocket and slipped into her sleeping bag. Her eyes drooped and her vision became blurry. The girl allowed the darkness to cloud her vision and slipped into the darkness of sleep. The human needs this rest because the near future will bring harsh trials.

_And there you go, chapter 3. I was going to make it longer, but I decided to cut it there because I'm saving a huge event for the next chapter. Well, Hazel had a fantastic first day on her solo mission. Who knows what will happen in the next few days. Find out next time on Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure._


	4. Aladar

_All right guys. Here's Chapter 4 of Hazel's Adventure. I have not forgotten about Nigel and the gang back in Prehistoric Park. Hang tight, they'll pop up soon. So, without further ado, sit back and enjoy the chapter._

It had been three days since Hazel had joined the herd. By now, she was getting used to how things ran amongst them. She was even putting up with Kron's leadership, even though she knew that tolerance would not last long. It was her second day as a scout and she had already gotten used to the job. She was even at the point where she could say it was a daily routine for her. The routine was simple: get up early, ride with Flia, look around for any signs of danger or lifesavers, rest up for a couple of hours, repeat the process, then report back to Kron.

Today was like any other day in this lifeless plain. The afternoon was slightly cooler than last time due to the gusts of wind that were blowing. That and night was coming so the temperatures were starting to drop, much to the scouts' relief. Hazel and Flia flew over more plateaus, rock formations, and flat terrain. So far, there weren't any major events to report about, except for the usual pack of Velociraptors that trailed the herd. This day, however, was different.

Hazel was investigating the flat plain to the left when Flia suddenly spoke up. "Hazel, do you see what's up ahead?"

The human faced forward and stared at the horizon. She was wearing the sports goggles she used back when she helped Nigel find more prehistoric grass samples for Martha the mammoth some time ago. Her goggles lens were clear and the shape of the goggles was small and angled. These goggles were multipurpose as they could be used in swimming, snowy terrain, and in deserts. Hazel squinted, trying to not focus on the sun too much. When she did, she saw that just a few miles ahead, the rocky terrain ended and a sea of sand continued onward. Hazel stopped squinting and moaned.

"Don't tell me…we're going to cross that."

"We are. If you thought this wasteland was hard, then the desert will be much worse," Flia replied.

Hazel shook her head in defeat. Flia angled her body to the right and circled around in the opposite direction. Her passenger had to wrap her feet along the pterosaur's legs and she had to grip her hold on her arms tightly when they turned. Hazel worried that her grips bothered Flia, but in reality, they didn't bother her.

After they turned, Hazel looked around her surroundings. She did not really pay attention to the fact that the landscape contained a lot of rocky hills.

"I wanted to give you an idea on what we would be facing tomorrow," Flia explained. "Since it's a wide open desert and there aren't a lot of places for predators to hide, we don't really have to scout as much."

"Really?" Hazel said with a sigh of relief. "Oh good…which means more time to rest."

Flia turned her head to the side and looked at Hazel. "Rest? You're not the one flying around in the air."

"I know. But this scouting job was a lot more tedious than I expected. My eyes are starting to hurt…"

The Pteranodon let out a small chuckle. "Just relax. We'll rest up when we get back to the herd."

Hazel did not reply to that and just kept staring up front. Flia did not face forward, but rather kept her gaze on the human. The human noticed that Flia was not paying attention to what's up ahead and stared at the large eye. After a few moments, a sense of confusion took over Hazel.

"What?" Hazel arched an eyebrow. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"What are those things on your body?" Flia curiously asked. "And on your face?"

"Oh these?" the human looks down at her clothes, touched her blue baseball cap, then back at the Pteranodon.

"_Oh dear…how do I say this?"_ Hazel thought nervously.

"Um, they're my clothes. They uh...protect my skin. A second layer to put it simply."

"Like armor?" Flia wondered.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "Kind of like armor. They're also like my second skin. As for the other stuff, the thing on my head keeps the hair off my eyes and prevents my head from overheating in the sun. The object on my eyes prevents any sand or gusts of wind from ruining my vision. ...I hope I didn't confuse you there."

Flia shook her head slightly, considering she was looking at Hazel at the same time. "No no no. I understand. They're just...well...um..."

Hazel finished her sentence. "Foreign?"

"Yes. Exactly. I hope I did not say anything wrong," Flia frowned.

The girl waved her hand in a cheerful motion. "Not at all. Curiosity isn't a bad thing."

"And the thing on your back. Is that armor too?" the female flyer added.

Hazel thought for a moment and replied the best she could. "Um...yes it can be. It's for multiple uses actually. I can carry things with it and use it to rest my head when I'm tired."

Flia blinked and faced forward again, focusing on the flight back to the herd. "Oh…interesting. I wish I had one of those."

The human mentally laughed at that. _"Yeah that's not going to work."_

Hazel cleared her throat. "Let's get to the back of the herd and check up on our friends. And maybe report to Kron if we see him along the way."

"Agreed," Flia replied to that.

It did not take very long before they were flying over the herd. The herd was situated in a rocky hilled patch, and perhaps the only one in that part of the wasteland. The outcrop resembled a fortress that looked on at the desert. While Flia kept flying forward, Hazel looked below and tried to spot the purple colored Iguanadon. At the ground, the various herbivores were getting situated in finding a place to sleep for the night. Hazel watched as the dinosaurs walked around until they found a good place to sleep. She also witnessed some of them pushing their comrades away from their spot or from getting in their way. Hazel felt sorry for them, but it was a harsh environment after all. Among the large group of dinosaurs, the leader was nowhere to be found.

"I can't find Kron anywhere," Hazel said after wiping a drop of sweat from her forehead.

"There's no need," Flia told her while still flying forward. "He's right up ahead."

The nineteen year old peeked her head to the side and saw that Kron, Bruton, and Neera were standing together nearby their friends in the back. By now, they were about a hundred feet away from them. They also noticed Baylene's head down close to her legs and Eema hiding behind one of them. Hazel wondered on why the leader and his associates were there. At the same time, she hoped that their friends did not cause any trouble.

"Hm…" Flia sounded with optimism. "It appears we have a newcomer."

Hazel stopped staring at the threesome and saw what Flia spoke of. Facing the three dinosaurs was another Iguanadon. Unlike the others, this one had a blue-green colored skin and was slightly slimmer than the other males. When they got a little closer, they saw the leader and his troupe walk off from the mini-herd. They also saw Neera look back and converse with the newcomer before following her brother.

"Well at least I'm not the only newbie here anymore," Hazel commented.

Flia smiled at that remark and did not reply to that. Instead, she gave her a warning. "I'm going down there. Hang on!"

On command, the human gripped her hold on the pterosaur tightly and the flyer descended into a steep slope. Hazel let out a yelp when she did that and shut her eyes tight. She had been to many roller coaster rides before, but this one beat them all. Hazel kept her head close to Flia's crest, ignoring the hard nudge on her head.

Flia let out a screech and alerted the dinosaurs below. All of them looked up and saw the Pteranodon descend. When she was a few feet from the ground, Flia slowed her descent and leaned back. She flapped her wings back and landed on the ground on her limbs. When she did, Hazel quickly let go of her partner, place her removed goggles into her bag, and turned her back on her. The human was covered perfectly by the size of the pterosaur. Hazel took this time to stretch her arms and legs before properly introducing herself.

"Flia!" Eema called to her to her left. "You're just in time. We've got a newcomer!"

"I know," she replied then stared up at the Iguanadon. "I saw Kron speak with you and storm off. I take it the induction went well?"

The traveler was about to speak when a furry creature popped its tiny head up from his neck. This one was wrinkled and had white and brown fur with a shine to it. If Flia did not know that he was an elder, then the voice would. The tone sounded gruff, like Eema's, and had a deep rumble to it.

"Induction? If you mean criticizing his leadership skills and then storming off, then yes. It went well," he replied.

Flia shrieked and backed up a step. Hazel was flexing her arms when suddenly, the force from her partner caused her to fall forward. She did not scream nor give away her position. Hazel was not mad, but her face was now covered in dust. She wiped the dirt off and stood back up, doing the same thing on her clothes.

"Goodness, I didn't see you there."

At that moment, more furry creatures peered from the back. Unlike the first one, these creatures seemed younger and had a lot of differences. One of them had yellow fur and looked scrawny. Another looked just like the elder, only it was a slender female. The last one was a younger female and looked just like the third, except she had a little more brown fur than white.

While Flia was processing this new surprise, Hazel walked out from behind her and looked up at them. She was a little shy when she saw the traveler. But when she saw the riders on his back, she nearly fell over. Hazel's eyes widened as she stared at the lemurs. The Iguanadon backed up a little when he saw her and was mildly shocked. The lemurs had the same reaction and all of them, including their dinosaur friend, looked at the creature in wonder. The tiny primates were amazed by the sight; here stood a creature that looked a little like them, only different. She stood on two legs, only had black hair on her head, had no tail, had different facial features, and was taller than them.

Hazel put her hands on her hips. "So, you guys are the new additions to the herd huh?"

"Um yeah," the blue-green Iguanadon bowed his head slightly. "My name's Aladar and this is my family."

The human bowed her head once as well. "Hi. Name's Hazel. And this is Flia," she said, gesturing to the Pteranodon who stood vigil next to her.

When she said that, the adult female lemur hopped down from Aladar's back. She climbed down from his forearm and then made her way towards the human. This one came to her in small hops at first and then came to a stop in front of her.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are you?" the adult asked.

"Yeah, you look like us, except not," the yellow lemur, who was leaning at the front portion of Aladar's neck, added.

Hazel chuckled a little and replied. "I knew it was coming to that. I'm a human. And as you have noticed, I'm not from around here. Before you say 'I've never seen your kind before', well that's hard to explain but we'll get to that later."

In the back of her mind, Hazel was still in pure utter shock. She was dumbfounded to see lemurs in this time. Hazel had done her homework about evolution back in high school and she knew that they did not appear on this earth until millions of years from then. The girl could not believe what she was seeing. She's speaking to a group of lemurs that were not supposed to have evolved until much later and an Iguanadon that was raised by them.

"_Whoa…this is totally mind-boggling. These guys aren't supposed to be here at all! How did they get here? Are they yet to be discovered by scientists and are still lying in the ground in the present? Does this disrupt what we all know about evolution? I'd better keep my cool…but still, this time just brings in new surprises by the day!"_ Hazel thought in amazement. _"But I swear…if I find out that this Iguanadon can swing on vines and climb trees, then I'm going to have a heart attack!"_

"My name is Plio," the lemur introduced herself. She then gestured to the lemurs still on Aladar's back respectively. "Over there is Yar, my father, Zini, and my daughter, Suri." The lemurs waved their hands hello and Hazel did the same.

"And I take it you are a new member like us?" Plio added.

The human widened her eyes at the question. How did she know that? "Yes, that's right. I joined the herd just two days ago."

At that statement, the young lemur known as Suri hopped down from Aladar's back and joined her mother. Suri was nearly half the size of Plio and just as cute. To Hazel, she looked to be about the size of a Chihuahua.

"Did you lose your home like we did?" Suri inquired.

Hazel nodded, but in her mind, she wanted to slap herself. This was the fourth time she had to lie and she was getting sick of it. She wanted to tell them the truth, but they would not understand if she did tell them.

"Yeah. My home was destroyed."

Aladar walked forward and stood just about a few feet from her. The newcomer lowered his head until they were at the same level. He did not smile, but his expression showed sympathy.

"Looks like we're pretty much in the same page."

"Pretty much," she replied. "I've just heard about the Nesting Grounds from these guys and it sounds like paradise."

Flia cleared her throat and stepped forward. All the dinosaurs, lemurs, and human turned her attention to her and waited for whatever she was about to say.

"Anyway, since Kron did a horrid –"

"And rude," the human informed all of them.

"And rude job of welcoming you, I'm going to do it the PROPER way. Welcome to the herd." Except for Eema, who was chuckling at the action, stared at her in silence.

"You'll love these girls. They can be funny at times," she gestured to Aladar and the lemurs. They looked at her curiously for a minute before turning back to them.

"I heard that," the human said, the Styracosaurus quieting down. "And thank you for the complement."

After saying that, Flia felt a small gust of wind from behind her. She unfolded her wings and flapped twice. The flaps of wind startled the group and caused them to step back. Flia launched into the air and flew away to the east. Hazel, who had her arm up to cover the dust that got to her face, put it down and watched in confusion as her partner flew away.

"You're going without me!?" she screamed at her.

"The both of us don't really need to speak to Kron!" the Pteranodon hollered back. "I'll just tell him you're keeping an eye on things back here!"

"Okay!" Hazel answered back.

Aladar and the lemurs turned to Eema. They were new there and they did not know what was going oneema was about to explain when Baylene lowered her head to them and beat her to it.

"Hazel and Flia serve as the scouts in the air. Every day, they must report to the leader and inform him of anything they spot."

The blue-green Iguanadon looks at Baylene and then at Hazel. "Oh. But it doesn't look like Hazel can fly."

The human overheard the comment and turned to face him. She points a finger halfway up and also puts a hand on her hip. Hazel knew he was going to ask something like that and was ready for it. Although…she's getting a little tired of answering those questions. But she is polite girl.

"You're right. I can't. I always hitch a ride on Flia."

Zini, who was still on Aladar's back, hopped once in excitement. "Ooh! Awesome! Think we can do that too!?"

Hazel let out a small giggle before replying. "Sure. Flia wouldn't mind."

Later that night, everyone had settled down and got ready for bed. Like what happened before, Hazel was asked questions about her sleeping bag. That and they asked her about her clothes. Hazel didn't know how much longer she could take these questions. Anyway, her sleeping bag was in front of the huddled group. Aladar was watching the lemurs sleep and the elder dinosaurs (and Url) were already sound asleep. Hazel was still awake and decided to have a chat with Aladar. He was on his belly and his front arms were crossed over each other. The lemurs were huddled together on Baylene's tail. Yar was sleeping a little further from Plio and Suri, who were holding on to each other in their sleep. She got up from her sleeping bag and sat next to Aladar. Her appearance startled the Iguanadon slightly.

"Oh, it's you Hazel. I didn't see you there," Aladar said.

"Sorry. I kinda do that to others," Hazel laughed nervously.

"It's fine," he reassured her.

The girl sighed and looked at him. "I'm sorry if this sounds offensive in any way. I'm just curious. But, how did you get adopted by lemurs?"

Aladar closed his eyes and smirked. "I don't really know much of my past. All I know is that these guys are my family. But, if you must know, Plio, Yar, and Zini found me when I was just an egg. They told me something carried me over to their island. How I got there, I had no idea. Plio wanted to take me in, but Yar was pretty hesitant."

Hazel chuckled. "But he agreed anyway."

"He did," he replied and let out a grieving sigh. "That island and everyone on it was all I ever knew. I thought I was the only one of my kind…until today that is."

"And now you're not really alone anymore," Hazel told him.

"Yeah," Aladar agreed. "I miss everyone though…"

Hazel brought her arm up and stroked his arm. Aladar looked down at her and stared. The human gave him a reassuring smile and continued to stroke him gently. The Iguanadon closed his eyes and allowed her to continue the strokes.

"Everything will be okay," she told him.

The girl stopped stroking and put her hand down. "One thing still bugs me though…"

Aladar opened his eyes and turned at her. "Hm?"

"Did they teach you to climb on trees and swing on vines?"

Aladar and Hazel watched each other for a few moments. Afterwards, the dinosaur broke out into soft chuckles. Hazel lifted an eyebrow up and watched him in confusion. She had half a mind to ask him if she said something wrong. Aladar continued to snicker and then calmed down.

"No, I don't," he lifted his right paw up to her face. "Do these look like they could grasp anything?"

"Um…no…I just…I was just curious is all," Hazel stammered.

"Nah it's okay. There's nothing wrong with being curious," he told her after putting his paw down.

"Oh…okay," she replied.

They both laughed and talked a little longer. However, the sun was already down and the temperatures were already cool. Hazel greeted Aladar good night and snuggled into her sleeping bag. The Iguanadon told her likewise and went to bed as well. Hazel brought the blanket part up to her neck and crouched inside the sleeping bag. The days may be hot, but the nights felt a little unbearable.

Later that night, Hazel awoke and performed the same routine as the nights before. Like before, this night was cool and the wind blew gently. She walked away from the group, ate and drank her rations, and then turned her cell phone on. Hazel walked back to the group and quietly sat down on the sleeping bag. She also made sure that the phone was on silent. It had been a couple of days since she contacted Nigel and she felt bad about it. Hazel had been too tired the past couple of days to speak to him and she had to make up for it tonight. The screen showed the picture of her and Nigel and Hazel pressed on the message app. When the message box appeared, she started typing away.

"_Man, Nigel is going to flip when he hears about this…"_

**Hazel**: "Hi."

**Nigel**: "Hello Hazel. Anything new happen?"

**Hazel**: "We've got a few more additions to the herd. An Iguanadon and his family."

**Nigel**: "More Iguanadons?"

**Hazel**: "No. Apparently, this Iguanadon was raised by a group of lemurs."

**Nigel**: "Wait, what!? Raised by lemurs?"

**Hazel**: *laughs* "Yes, but he's still a dino. He's not swinging on trees or anything."

**Nigel**: "Okay good... XD"

**Nigel**: "But lemurs!? They don't appear for another few million years!"

**Hazel**: "I know right!? It's like this time brings in more surprises by the day."

**Hazel**: "I'm still sticking with my plan. When this migration is over, I plan to bring the entire herd home, including the lemurs. Speaking of lemurs, where would they stay?"

**Nigel**: "I can have Bob and the others start working on a primate house. It would take some time but they'll get the job done. For now, I think they would have to stay in the insect house. The Arthopleura is a vegetarian so they'll be fine."

**Hazel**: "Okay. But what about the Iguanadon? He's like a son, well, brother to one of them. We should let them out of that house daily."

**Nigel**: "We'll do that too. They may even have a fun time meeting the other residents here. Next to birds and bugs, I'm also fond of lemurs."

**Hazel**: "Okay then. Well, I'd better get to bed. Another harsh day of traveling tomorrow. This time, we're crossing an open desert, no mountain ridges anywhere."

**Nigel**: "Alright. Well goodnight and good luck tomorrow."

**Hazel**: "Thank you and goodnight."

Hazel exited the app and pressed the power button on top. The screen became black and all was in shady darkness. Hazel put the phone back into her pocket and snuggled into her sleeping bag. She savored the warmth inside and quickly fell asleep.

_And there you go. Chapter 4. Hazel finally met Aladar and his family. Things are about to get interesting for Hazel and for Nigel too. Don't fret about Nigel not having a major part in this story. He will appear soon and will have his role played. I have not forgotten about him. Anyway, stay tuned for Chapter 5!_


	5. Desert Preparations

_Hello, this is Darksage95. I'm actually having a lot of fun developing this story. So much fun that I'm developing a soundtrack to go along with this. I'm going to include music from Disney's Dinosaur and Prehistoric Park (I don't own any of them) for the score, but I'm still missing a few songs. I am also developing a vocal soundtrack for the story, however, I'm having some trouble thinking of a theme song for Hazel. I'm going to start including songs into each chapter. Please let me know what songs I should add. Anyway, enjoy!_

**Soundtrack: Aladar and Neera by James Newton Howard/Across the Desert (first part)**

Hazel woke up to the sound of a loud whimper. She sat up and looked to her right to see what was wrong; her hand was on the short sword resting just beside her head. The human looked to her right and saw Url squirming in his sleep. The tiny Ankylosaur had been sleeping on his back and his tiny legs were flailing in the air. Hazel wondered if that sleeping position bothered the armored creature, but after witnessing him calm down and relax, she did not worry anymore. Url uttered more quiet snores and his tongue stuck out a little. Hazel snickered softly at the sight.

"_He must have been dreaming. Maybe he was running in an open field or chasing something?"_ Hazel thought and smiled.

She then looked up at the sky and around the area. The sky was a mixture of light red and orange, a sign that it was dawn. The temperature was a little warmer than the night before, but she knew that it would get even hotter. Hazel looked back at her friends and saw that they were still asleep. The dinosaurs were huddled together and the lemurs slept on the large sauropod. Like before, Flia slept upright and wings wrapped on top of Baylene. Except for Eema, Flia, and Baylene, they all snored. Especially the old lemur named Yar, whom she could clearly hear.

Hazel silently slid out of her sleeping bag and went over to the bottom. The teen folded in half and then rolled it up. After doing so, she pulled the two straps over the thing and secured it. She also grabbed the dagger next to it and strapped it onto her shorts belt and put on her sunscreen for the trip ahead. When she put it away into her bag, she stared out into the horizon. Other than seeing the other dinosaurs stirring in their sleep, Hazel saw that the sun was about three-fourths of the way up. No one was awake and she doubted that even Kron would be at this time…unless he was an early riser like she was.

Hazel got up and walked around. She always did this every morning in Prehistoric Park. It was a good way to wake up even more and to get some exercise in. She also did this because she loved to walk around and see the park's residents. Hazel left her bag next to the dinosaurs and left for the main part of the herd. She took care in not getting too near to any of the sleeping dinosaurs and not making a sound in her steps. Even though these were all herbivores, Hazel knew that a human like herself might get hurt if she did something wrong. She was even more cautious when she walked past the herd's ceratopsians, well, except for the Microceratops, but she still had to watch her step.

The girl walked around the herd for what felt like twenty minutes. She did not venture too far from the herd, as doing so would attract the Velociraptors that always lurked around. Hazel assumed that they were also asleep at this time, but she did not want to take any chances. Since the sun was not fully up yet, Hazel traveled over to the raised outcrop that overlooked the sleeping herd and sat down at the top. She brought her knees close and wrapped her arms around them. Hazel sat there for about ten minutes, waiting for the herd to slowly wake up. The view was not much, but she could see the entire herd and the desert in the distance. Hazel sighed, knowing that they would be crossing that place very soon. Her trance was broken when she heard the sound of soft footfalls from behind her.

"I see I'm not the only one that wakes up early," a calming voice said.

Hazel looked to her right and saw Neera approach her. To her left were two juvenile Iguanadons. Flia told her about Neera earlier, saying that she watches over the children in the herd. These two were the ones that always accompanied her. They looked similar to each other, except one had a darker skin tone and was slightly larger than the other one, who had a little skin color. Hazel assumed them to be twins as they always traveled together.

"Oh. Good morning Neera. And kids," Hazel greeted them.

At that statement, the dinosaur children whimpered and backed up a few steps. Hazel got up and walked a few feet over. She knelt down to one knee and outstretched a hand to them. When she did, the children backed up and hid behind Neera's front legs.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you," Hazel told them.

The Iguanadons peeked their heads out and stared at her. They saw this strange creature smile and gesture a limb out. The one with the dark skin tilted his head to the side and let out a curious cry.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," she said.

Neera then lowered her head and watched both of them. She chuckled at their nervousness and curiosity and gestured her head towards her.

"Don't worry. She's a friend," Neera reassured them.

They perked their heads up at that statement. The one with the dark skin, who was presumably the older one, stepped out from behind Neera and slowly walked up to Hazel. He sniffed at her hand and even licked her fingers. Hazel giggled and then gently stroked his head. Like the other dinosaurs, his skin felt like leather and she could feel the tiny scales. He cried softly, closed his eyes, and smiled as the human petted him. The younger brother watched this and decided to get in on the action. He walked towards Hazel and, like before, she stroked his head with her other hand. They both savored the gesture and Hazel enjoyed doing it.

"I see you're fond of kids," Neera told her.

Hazel stopped stroking them and folded her hands on her raised knee. The children opened their eyes and walked over to Hazel's left. They lay down on their bellies and watched the two adults talk.

"Yeah," Hazel nodded. "I just think they're cute."

The human swallowed and replied again. "So, where are their parents?"

Neera frowned and stared at the children, who were playfully nudging each other with their heads. "They…were taken…by two Carnotaurs."

"Oh…" Hazel looked down. She knew of Carnotaurus, Carnotaurs for plural. They were no Tyrannosaurus, but they were still just as dangerous. She also knew that they were distinguished by the two horns that jut out from above their eyes. "I see…they're orphans."

"Yes…"

"Yet they look up to you like their mother," Hazel told her.

Neera smiled. "That they do."

Hazel watched them play with each other before looking back at Neera again. She remembered something that she neglected to tell her due to her scouting job and being so tired every day.

"Um…thank you by the way. For convincing Kron to let me join the herd."

The female Iguanadon bowed her head once. "You're welcome. Anyone's welcome to join the herd. Well…except for carnivores that is."

They both chuckled at that.

"You're a good scout," she also commented.

"Thanks," Hazel grinned at that.

Right when she said that, the members of the herd started to stir. The dinosaurs yawned and slowly got up. Some of them were late starters and were lying down for a few minutes of rest. Both human and Iguanadons watched as the members of the herd proceeded up to the front of the natural fortress. Hazel and the child Iguanadons got up and looked at Neera. The juveniles made their way to her and stayed close.

"I'd better go find Flia and wake her up," Hazel told her. "It was nice talking to you Neera."

"Same to you…Hazel," she replied.

Hazel widened her eyes when she heard her name. Here stood the leader's sister, who was kinder, caring, and more respectful towards others, no matter the species. Neera was nothing like the ruthless Kron. The human nodded and walked past her.

It took only a few minutes to walk through the ledge and get to her friends. When she arrived, they were all still sound asleep. Hazel quietly walked around the sleeping body of Baylene and tiptoed past Aladar. She knelt down, quietly grabbed her bag, and put her arms through the straps. Hazel stood back up and stared at Baylene's back. The girl noticed that her scouting partner was not sleeping on her. She couldn't help but squint her eyes and wonder.

"_Huh…maybe she got up early?"_ Hazel wondered. She closed her eyes and shrugged her shoulders.

As she proceeded to walk away to the front of the herd, Hazel noticed something small and furry hop in the opposite direction out of the corner of her eye. She could have sworn that the creature had yellow fur. Hazel turned around again and saw the lemur known as Zini hop over towards the back group. Curious as to why Zini would be heading back there, Hazel followed.

Hazel quietly ran over there and hid behind Baylene. She knelt down and watched the lemur climb onto Aladar's snout from where she was. Then she heard Zini talk to him, but no answer came from the snoring Iguanadon. Hazel figured that the male lemur was trying to wake his friend up. At first, she could not really hear anything, until she heard Zini raise his voice. When he did, Aladar jolted awake and stood up with Zini dangling from his head. Hazel put a hand over her mouth and laughed at the sight.

"Zini, what are you doing?" Aladar mumbled.

"I believe you left a wake-up call since the dawn of time…" Zini replied. He then tugged at Aladar's nostrils earnestly, waking him up again. "Come on! Move it!"

Aladar let out a yawn and stood up. "What's the hurry?"

"I don't know. Let's go check it out," he said after climbing over to the back of his friend's head.

When they left their sleeping area to join the herd, Hazel stood up and hurried over to them. She walked next to Aladar on his right and greeted them.

"Morning boys," she looked up to her right and greeted.

Both Aladar stopped and looked from side to side, looking for the source. Hazel rolled her eyes and poked Aladar on his arm. The dinosaur reacted to it by lifting his left arm up and looked down in the general direction. Zini did the same and both saw Hazel with her arms folded over her chest.

"Oh, morning Hazel," Aladar greeted. "What's the rush?"

Hazel shrugged her shoulders, showing them the same confusion. "I'm not sure. Judging from the few days I've spent with the herd, they usually wake up a little later than this time. My guess is Kron is pushing for a head start for the trek across the desert."

Zini was about to reply to that when a harsh and commanding voice sounded off to their left. All three of them looked over there and saw Bruton standing over a sleepy male Iguanadon.

"Rise and shine!" he yelled. "Kron says everybody goes." The herd member slowly got up and let out a yawn. Bruton nudged him up hard and even moved him to the side a little.

"Come on get up. On your feet!"

"Huh. The charm doesn't stop around here," Zini commented.

Hazel widened her eyes at that and looked at him in alert. "Zini!"

Apparently, Bruton overheard that and looked at them. "You say something?" he asked, letting out a snort.

Aladar and Hazel shook their heads no. Zini on the other hand, hid himself from view.

"Uh no. No sir."

"We didn't say anything!" Hazel added to that, lifting her arms up halfway as a way of telling him to calm down.

The large and hefty lieutenant walked over to them until they were parallel to each other. Bruton shot glares at both Aladar and Zini. Hazel trembled at how close he was and put her hand on the short blade.

"Unless you got a death wish, you and that little parasite better get moving!" Bruton yelled, causing them to move on past him. He then looked down and shot glares at the human.

"And you!" he spat at her. Hazel breathed in a sharp breath and backed up a step. "Get to the front with the birdbrain!"

Hazel let her sword go and stood straight like a soldier. She then saluted him, giving him her undivided attention. "Yes sir!" she told him before running up to join Aladar and Zini. Bruton shook his head and continued on.

"Sheesh, is that guy ugly or what?" Zini said, pointing at Bruton with his thumb for a second.

Hazel caught up to Aladar and walked alongside him. "Well, he's being Mr. Sunshine today…" she sarcastically said.

"_Honestly, I feel like I'm in boot camp…"_ she moaned to herself.

Just then, Zini sees something that interested him, and with luck, Aladar.

"Hey hey hey…there's your girlfriend," the lemur said, pointing to Neera up ahead. He then let out a meow.

Aladar and Hazel looked around and tried to find what Zini was referring to. Obviously, Hazel did not know what was going on so she was more confused than the Iguanadon next to her.

"What are you talking about?" Aladar asked Zini.

"You know what I'm talking about…" the lemur lifted the dinosaur's left eye ridge and gestured to the female up front. "Neera."

At that statement, all three of them watched as Neera walked up to the front with the twin juvenile Iguanadons. Hazel saw her then looked back at the two boys, realizing that Zini was trying to play the matchmaker with his friend.

"Scaly skin, yellow eyes, big ankles!" Zini described her as if he had a crush on her too and waved his hand doing so.

"Yeah, I sure made an impression on her," Aladar said with a snort.

"_Impression?"_ the human wondered at that. _"I suppose this isn't a love at first sight deal?"_

"What you need is a little help from the love monkey…" Zini said, referring to himself with a hand on his chest.

"The love monkey?" the other two turned their heads at him and said in unision.

"Zini…what on earth are you -?" Hazel asked him but was then interrupted by him calling out in a series of whoops, cheers, and barks.

"Ow baby!"

Hazel froze and her mouth fell open. When Neera was about to look behind to see who was doing that, the human quickly ran behind Aladar and hid behind one of his legs. She just had a nice small talk conversation with Neera earlier and she did not want that friendly relationship to be ruined by being spotted with the Iguanadon who "intentionally" attracted her attention. At least, just for this moment. Hazel face palmed her forehead and groaned.

"You idiot!" she yelled in a whisper after he finished with his calls. "You're getting the wrong type of attention!"

Aladar laughed nervously and grinned in embarrassment. His 'new' crush stared at him with disapproval and shook her head. She then leaned down closer to the kids next to her and gestured towards Aladar.

"That children is what's known as a 'Jerkosaurus'," she told them before they all walked off.

"And with that, the ice is broken," Zini said.

Aladar felt like shaking him off for that. Hazel ran up to the front with her friends and stood next to the dinosaur. She then put her hands on her hips and gave Zini an annoyed look.

"_More like reduced his chances of getting her as a girlfriend,"_ Hazel thought before getting the lemur's attention.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked Zini.

The lemur piped his head up and looked down at Hazel. Aladar kept his gaze on Neera and thought about apologizing to her later. He did not pay attention to the two mammals in conversation…er…at least Hazel telling Zini off.

"Hey they don't call me the 'Professor of Love' for nothing," Zini bragged to her. "This sort of stuff is my expertise."

Hazel nodded and folded her arms again. "Uh huh…right Love Guru. If you're an expert, then where's your PhD?"

Zini scratched his head at that and looked at her in confusion. "My what now?"

Right when Hazel was about to reply to that, Kron and Bruton bellowed just over the hill. All of the dinosaurs hurried over there and gathered in front. Hazel watched them run on over and saw the boys follow them. She was about to join them when she heard a familiar screech off to her left. Hazel looked over there and saw Flia calling to her from one of the rocky ledges. The human rushed to her and climbed the small hill. She had some trouble at first because of how steep it was, but soon, she was standing next to Flia on her right.

Up ahead, just by about ten feet, the entire herd gathered up front. They were situated at the very back on the ledge and overlooking the entire herd. Hazel looked to her right and saw Aladar, Eema, and the hulking form of Baylene a few ways off. She then switched her attention to the front and saw Kron speaking to Bruton. After whispering something to him, the leader stood up front and faced the horizon.

"If this is your first crossing, listen up!" Bruton announced.

Hazel looked at Flia, who was still staring at Bruton, and then back at the lieutenant. Whatever he was going to say involved her too.

"There is no water until we reach the other side. And you better keep up 'cause if a predator catches you, you're on your own. Move out!"

With that said, Bruton let out a bellow, signaling the herd to start moving. Kron walked ahead and the herd started to follow him. Hazel looked at Flia and the Pteranodon did the same. Flia stared at her friend, who showed a hint of fear and apprehension.

"Are you ready?" she asked the human.

Hazel took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She nodded and the Pteranodon turned her back to her. Flia spread her wings apart, signaling Hazel to climb aboard. Hazel put her bag down and unzipped the left side pocket. There, she took out the goggles she had stashed away earlier and put them on. The human put her bag back on, supported herself up by putting her arms around the creature's neck, and lifting herself up from her feet. When she was secured, Flia faced the horizon and jumped. The wind was blowing from behind her and she used it to gain altitude. She flapped her wings and they propelled forward. As they flew, the thought of whatever risks lie ahead haunted them in their minds.

Meanwhile, back in Prehistoric Park…

Today was a nice summer day and the park was filled with activity. It was feeding time and the staff members are busy gathering the food and feeding the animals. The elephants, including Martha, were enjoying their 'mountain salads'. The Deinosuchus, the saber-tooth cats, the Tyrannosaurus siblings, the terror bird, and the crocodiles were feasting upon their recently served carcasses. Bob was having a bit of fun feeding the Ornithomimus, and his 'adopted' children, the duck feed. The Titanosaurs were grazing on the treetops in their enclosure, the Elasmotherium was busy grazing, and the bugs were enjoying their…bug food. Everyone was happy…except for one.

The veterinarian known as Suzanne looked on at the lone animal in his enclosure. She had a look of worry on her face as she watched the lone Triceratops. For the past few days, he had not been eating and was not his upbeat self. Bob's occasional jousting on his 'Tractorceratops' usually lightened up his spirits, but only for a little bit. All he had been doing was lying down on his belly and looking down.

Suzanne did a checkup earlier that day and saw nothing wrong with Theo. He wasn't sick nor was he injured in any way. The brown colored ceratopsian lay there, front legs folded over each other, and let out sad moans. When the vet gripped one of the fence's poles, she heard footsteps walk up next to her. She looked to her left and saw Nigel looking at him too. Like Suzanne, Nigel was also concerned about Theo.

"He still hasn't eaten?" Nigel asked her while looking at the sad animal.

The dark-haired vet shook her head. "No. He didn't even take a nibble at the shrubs."

"I just don't get it," Suzanne wondered. "Last year, Theo was very energetic, even when he reached maturity. Now…he's not so much anymore."

"And he's still a juvenile too," the head researcher added.

"Right," she nodded.

"I think I've figured out as to why Theo's acting like this."

Suzanne stared at him and waited for the answer.

"I think what we're seeing here is the same thing that happened to Martha," Nigel explained, gesturing to the Triceratops in the enclosure.

"Wha-?" the woman widened her eyes and stared at him in shock. "You mean he's dying of loneliness?"

The man nodded. "Yes. And I've done some research about them too. It seems that Triceratops' behaviors are also similar to elephants and gorillas combined. Males live on their own or in family groups, like bull elephants. But they also need to survive on others, like in family groups."

"So you're saying we should find and retrieve another Triceratops," Suzanne figured.

"Right," Nigel nodded. "But not just any ordinary Triceratops. It's going to be a female."

The vet stared at him with eyes like marbles. "You're going to get him a girlfriend!?"

"Yup. He's a bachelor and the breeding season is nearly upon him."

"But, what if she's not interested?" Suzanne asked him.

"Don't worry. Bob and I will handle that," he told her. Nigel then retreated away and quickly left to prepare for his new mission. Suzanne on the other hand was so focused on the depressed Theo and did not notice him leave.

"Introducing a female to Theo would greatly reduce his feelings of loneliness. That, and with any luck, if they both get interested in each other, then we may have even more dinosaurs in this park," Suzanne said.

She looked to her left but then found out that she was the only one there. The woman searched on both sides and even behind her, but Nigel was not around. She shook her head, yet still smiled.

"That Nigel. Always going off on a new adventure…" she said as she turned around and watched Theo, who let out another depressed moan.

_And that ends Chapter 5. Not only do we have three bachelors in the story, but Nigel now is on a mission to help Theo. Looks like he's going to be playing the "Love Guru" for his one. Suzanne may have played as Cupid to the two saber-toothed cats, but now it's Nigel's turn. As for Hazel, things are really starting to heat up as they begin their trek across the desert. Now it seems that the predators following them are the least of their worries. Will they be able to survive their trips? Find out next time on Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure._


	6. The Desert

_Hello people, Darksage95 here. Chapter 6 is finally up! I don't really have much to say for this one, except for the disclaimer. I do not own Disney's Dinosaur, Prehistoric Park, etc. I only own the characters that I created. So sit back, and enjoy!_

**Soundtrack: Across the Desert by James Newton Howard/My Land was Destroyed by Epic Score**

If you have ever watched "Man vs. Wild", "Survivorman", or any of those shows where the host endures the most dangerous habitats in the world, then you would know exactly what is going on. Or try imagining you are a guest in "I Shouldn't Be Alive", telling the story of how you survived in a place where you are inches from death. This world is beautiful, yet in many ways, can be unforgivable. If you find the guts to survive in a harsh desert for two days with little food or water, then you should feel proud. However, try surviving longer than that. If you had a choice between slowly dying in a vast desert or being eaten by the jaws of a carnivore, what would you go with?

This was exactly what the herd was going through. The sun beat down on them with its unforgivable rays. The heat was unbearable. There was no food and absolutely no water; just an endless blanket of sand. And it didn't even help that Kron had been pushing them relentlessly. The herd had little rest, about four or five hours during the past couple of days.

It was not even surprising to see a herd member collapse dead out of fatigue and weakness. Out of the past couple of days, about five dinosaurs have already fallen. Even though some herd members mourned the loss of their comrades, they did not have time to grieve for them. Even if they did, Kron would not allow it. Even he did not care if someone died and would not even pay any mind to them.

The nights did bring some reprieve to the herd; as in the air was cool and the wind blew. However, the wind was strong enough to blow the sands. The sand got to everyone's eyes and interfered with their vision. Closing their eyes did not help as much as doing so brought the sand particles into their eyes. Kron pushed them on, regardless of the time of day or the weather conditions.

Each day in the desert worsened as time went on. The first day was hot with no winds at all. The second was windy, but still a little hot. During that day, a sandstorm blew just about a few miles to the west of the herd's position. All of the herd, including Hazel, noticed the huge dust cloud in the distance and started to fret. But of course, Kron pushed them forward. Hazel worried that the storm would hit them, but it never did. Then the third day was hotter than the last two days. No wind blew and everywhere they stepped was like walking across a bed of burning coals.

Even though she was not scouting as much as before, Hazel was suffering. She was already down to her last box of power bars and her last two bottles of water. There were even a few times when she was tempted to bring out a bottle of water and drink gulps from it. But she knew that doing so would attract the others' attention. She had to keep it a secret and endure the blistering sun. It was only during the night, when everyone was resting, that she allowed herself to. To make things worse, she did not get a lot of sleep. The few hours of rest the herd had during the crossing was not enough for her. Sometimes she saw mirages in the distance, like seeing a campsite or an oasis. Hazel knew they were not real and stayed focused.

The trek grew longer and everyone got little sleep. Occasionally, a dinosaur would fall out of exhaustion and get right back up with the help of another herd member. The only things driving them forward was the leader or the fear of getting eaten by the raptors in the back. Eema sometimes fell onto her belly to get some rest, but would refuse to get back up. Aladar, and occasionally Hazel if she was walking close by, always had to stop by and help her up.

The trek was unbearable. But they kept going. The herd knew that by stopping, they would die.

Hazel squinted her eyes in the distance. Looking at the west side, she could have sworn she saw some green mountains. She grinned as she recognized the rock formations as the barrier of her home away from home. She also noticed that she was moving slowly moving forward, as if the herd did not see the sanctuary in the distance. If she could just get to the herd leader and tell him, then they would all be saved.

Hazel leaned out to that side and was about to go to it when her foot did not touch any sort of ground. The human nearly fell and gripped on to whatever she was holding on. The teenager snapped back into reality and forgot that she was riding on Baylene's back, holding on to her neck for support. If she fell, she would be falling a little over three stories, at least in her perspective. She looked to the left again and saw the image of her home fade away. The vision dissipated like a reflection in water.

The human let out a sad sigh. This desert and the herd had reminded her that home was millions of years away.

"Hazel?" a voice sounded from behind her.

Hazel turned the other way and looked behind her. On the middle of the Brachiosaurus' back was Flia, wings folded and body facing the east side. The Pteranodon did not look like it, but she was suffering from the heat too.

"Is everything alright?" she asked again.

Hazel gave her a reassuring smile, even though the heat was beating down on her. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Flia stared at her friend and scouting partner. Even though she said she was okay, the human did not look like it. Her soft face was a tint darker than usual, her cheeks were a little red, and sweat was pouring down her face. Hazel may be wearing her goggles, but underneath the lens, the bottom part of her eyes were dark in color.

"Hazel," the Pteranodon started. "Why don't you get some rest? You don't look well."

The human took in a breath and shook her head. "No, I can't. I need to keep an eye out for any danger."

"We are out in an open desert. There are no obstructions anywhere. Danger can easily be seen," Flia tried to explain.

"I know. Predators or sandstorms could pop out at any moment. But I can do this," Hazel defended herself.

"Hazel, you haven't been sleeping very well. This desert is playing tricks on your mind and your strength is waning."

The girl shook her head again and gave her a determined expression. "Don't worry about me. I can keep going."

"I am a scout too. I can keep an eye out for danger. Hazel, you must get some rest. You're killing yourself!" Flia told her in a louder tone.

Hazel looked down and closed her eyes. She let out a sigh before looking at her again. "Flia, you've done a lot for me. You protected me from the raptors, helped convince Kron to let me join, and you've allowed me to ride on you. I have not really done much and I have not repaid you at all. So please, just rest and let me keep watch."

"Hazel, stop pushing yourself! You don't know it but you've done so much for me too! Please, I'm worried about you!" Flia urgently told her.

"But Flia-!" she was about to say something but was then interrupted.

"Hazel!" a voice screamed at her from the lower right.

The human and Pteranodon stopped their dispute and looked down to the right. Down there, walking next to Baylene in a slow stride, was Aladar. Like Flia, he had a worried look on his face, specifically towards Hazel. The human stared at him and looked down in shame.

"Flia's right. You've been restless for the past few days. You should really get some rest."

A small frown etched across Hazel's face. She hated to admit that she was wrong, but they had a point. She hadn't had any proper rest at all. That and if she kept on keeping herself awake and allowing the mirages to confuse her, she would die. If not from the slow thirst or starvation, then from getting a heat stroke too.

Hazel let out a regretful moan. "I'm sorry guys. I haven't really been thinking straight lately…"

"Oh it's quite alright Hazel," Baylene turned her head to the back and looked at the two passengers. It turns out she had been listening to the entire conversation too. "You've done well, serving your duties as a scout."

The human gave her a small smile. "Thanks…and I guess you're right. I could go for a couple of hours of rest."

With that said, Hazel scooted back to where Flia was. Carefully, she used her hands to push herself back in small segments. Baylene's skin was burning hot, making Hazel wince in pain as she proceeded. By the time she reached Flia, she looked down at her hands and saw that her knuckles and palms were colored red. Hazel sighed, readjusted herself so that she would face Flia, and collapsed on the spot.

"Ungh…it's so hot…" Hazel let out that complain with a groan. "What I would give for at least a paper fan…"

Flia looked down at her and arched an eye ridge up in confusion. "A what?"

The human wanted to smack herself for that remark, but she was too tired to do so. Instead, she quietly chuckled. "Nothing. But, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure Hazel. What is it?" Flia asked.

"Could you please cover me with your wing while I rest?" Hazel asked her, almost muttering the request.

"Sure, but why?"

"Um…uh…how do I explain this?" she scratched her head as she tried to put it in simpler terms. "My kind isn't as…resilient to the sun as you or any of the members of this herd. Any more exposure to this kind of heat…isn't good for me. Constant movement and shade would prevent any risk of heat strokes…which can be fatal."

"Huh…I see," the Pteranodon replied, letting her know she understood the explanation. "I have never heard of this 'heat stroke' before."

"Yeah well…it's bad for me," Hazel replied. _"I'm nearly out of sunscreen. At this rate, my chances of getting a heat stroke, or skin cancer, or any other disease, would increase."_

"Well we can't have that," Flia said as she lay one wing over her body. Hazel watched as a leathery, somewhat thin, triangular appendage covered her face and body. She felt the membrane fall on her body, which was surprisingly smooth and soft. The only part of her body that was not covered by the wing were her feet.

"How is that?" Flia asked her.

"It's perfect. It's still hot, but not as hot as the outside air," Hazel replied, her voice muffled by her wing. "Thanks for doing this for me."

"Not a problem. Now go to sleep. You must get your strength back," the Pteranodon requested.

"Yes mother…," the human chuckled as she removed her goggles and let them rest on the upper part of her hat. She then folded her arms under her cheek and faced the left. She could not see the desert, but through the fold in Flia's wing, she could make out a little bit of blue sky.

Hazel's eyes blinked slowly at first, until they started to droop a few minutes later. The human allowed the weariness to take over her. With one final blink, the darkness overcame her vision, falling into the realm of dreams.

The herd walked on that night. Like before, they did not stop to rest, not even for a few hours. The night was cool and the wind blew occasionally. Some found that relieving while others were bothered by the sand particles blowing at them. The desert was vast and dark, like a huge dark blanket.

Hazel did regain some strength from her nap, so she decided to walk alongside her friends for a while. The lemurs slept on Eema, Flia slept on Baylene who alongside Eema were still trying to keep up with the herd, and Aladar who was sticking along with them. Determined as Hazel was, her legs began to give in after a few hours. Even though she was tired, she still kept on walking.

"Man…what I would kill for a jeep. Or an ATV. Or anything that moves and has AC!" she groaned.

Hazel shivered and hugged herself as a cold wind blew. The human shut her eyes and looked away, trying to keep the sand from getting into her eyes. She wanted to smack herself because she neglected to bring a sweater with her. Hazel took another step and felt that her foot was sore. Not only that, but so were her legs. Tiredness was taking over, and she could not resist it this time. She fell forward and collapsed onto the sand. Hazel lay there, cheek on the sand and too tired to get back up.

"Maybe…I'll just lay here…for a few minutes," Hazel let out a relaxed sigh and closed her eyes.

She was about to drift into sleep when she heard footfalls come up to her. They were soft, as they were muffled by the sand. She listened and heard them stop next to her on her left. Hazel slightly opened one eye and looked up. She could not make out a face as it was really dark, but the light from the crescent moon illuminated the shape. Hazel did not say anything and was relieved she was not in any danger.

"Come on Hazel," Aladar told her. "Get up."

Hazel let out a moan. She tried to support herself up with her hands. Her arms then gave way and she found herself back onto the sand.

"Too…tired," she breathed out.

"Here," he said as he lowered himself onto the sand. Hazel's vision was blocked by a mass of scaly skin. The human turned her head upward and saw that Aladar was still looking at her. "You can ride on me."

Hazel thought for a moment and nodded to him. She shook a little as she got up and made her way to the Iguanadon. She placed both of her hands on his back and supported herself with what strength she had and from using his front leg as a foot support. Once on his back, she fell forward and lay there, ignoring the impact of his stubby back spines on her head and chest.

Aladar slowly got back up and started walking. Hazel put both of her arms under her head to keep the spines from rubbing against her. It was slightly more comfortable, but she knew her arms would become sore.

"Thanks Aladar…you're a real trooper you know," she told him.

"It's the least I could do. Besides, no one gets left behind."

Hazel let that thought sink into her mind and remembered what she should have told him earlier. "Um…thanks for stopping me earlier. I wasn't thinking straight."

"Not a problem. We need to look out for each other. Especially right now…" he said. The human was about to delve more into the subject when she was interrupted by another topic.

"So…where are you from?"

Hazel thought about her real home in Sarasota, Florida and knew that talking about that would leave him confused. Not only that, but mentioning that she was from a different time period would mean she would be treated differently. So she decided to be blunt on this one.

"Very far away…"

Aladar let out a chuckle and took that as a joke. "Is that the name of where you're from?"

The human rolled her eyes and smiled. "No. But if I told you, you wouldn't get it."

"Oh yeah?" he challenged. "Try me."

"Alright then…" Hazel took in deep breath and thought about Prehistoric Park, which she considered as her second home. "My home is in a valley. Lush green plains, tall trees in some areas, a few lakes here and there, a beautiful beach off to the east, and mountains that are rocky and treacherous yet so majestic when you look at them. Wherever you are, you can see the open sky. It's a beautiful place."

"Wow, sounds a little like this Nesting Grounds."

"Um…it kind of is," Hazel agreed.

Aladar frowned as he walked. "Now it's destroyed. I would have loved to see that place."

"Yeah," she lied.

"_It's not. You and the rest of this herd will see it. That, I can promise you,"_ Hazel mentally promised.

She looked down in sadness at the thought of her home. Hazel thought about what her friends are doing now and wondered if they are worrying about her. This talk about her home has surely made her homesick.

Hazel cleared her throat. The trip home is a long way off and would only depend on whether they made it to the Nesting Grounds. "But hey. The past is in the past. Time to move on. Live in the now, work for the tomorrow."

"You're being optimistic. That's a good thing," Aladar looked behind him and eyed at the human on his back. Afterwards, he looked back up front.

Hazel let out a lighthearted scoff. "I try to. But sometimes looking at the bright side gets clouded by obstacles. For example, I always worry that whatever mistake I do would mean the end of me. Whenever I make a mistake, I freak out."

"Sounds like you're a perfectionist," the dinosaur concluded.

"Yeah and I got it bad," Hazel replied. Right when he said that, the girl thought about the numerous times she screwed up in the past, like that one time she accidentally set the stove on fire while cooking breakfast and getting bad grades in school.

"For example," she lifted a finger up as if she were lecturing. "If I screw up with scouting and miss out on a tiny detail like not telling the leader that there's an area that may have potential rockslides, he'd beat me."

The blue Iguanadon shook his head. "That's just Kron. Not everybody is like that. Look, it's fine to make mistakes. If you make one, just learn from it."

"And don't think that my life depends on it?"

"Only when the situation calls for that but yes. Don't think like that," Aladar added.

Hazel stroked Aladar's side from where she was and smiled. "You know, I think you're the real optimist here."

"Hey, I do my best. And besides, the only way to survive is to stick together," he explained.

Hazel did not reply to that. He was right after all. She found it weird that she now has the means to talk to the dinosaurs as if she were talking to humans. Hazel mentally reminded herself to give Nigel a big thank you for the communicator after this was over. …And perhaps shake him uncontrollably for sending her to a death trap. Hazel chuckled at that thought.

A twinkle caught her attention and she looked up at the sky. The sky was dark, like black water. However, the moon illuminated the sky and made things look brighter. Alongside the moon were dozens of stars. Even though she was millions of years into the past, Hazel could still make out the stars that would one day become present day constellations. It took her a few moments to deduce which patterns would become the future constellations. While doing so, she could not help but admire the sight.

"The stars are out tonight," she said as she admired them.

"Stars?" Aladar asked.

"The lights up in the sky," Hazel explained. Of course, space would not be first explored until humans come along. The least she could do was be a little blunt in her explanation.

Aladar looked up and saw the lights. He kept looking forward then back up at the lights to make sure he wouldn't trip over something.

"So that's what they're called."

"Yeah," Hazel said. "They sure are pretty tonight."

"I've never really paid a lot of attention to them," Aladar said. "Now that we're out in the open..."

Hazel quickly added to that part. "Stargazing does capture the mind. In a good way. Just looking at them makes you feel small because they're so high up there. Still, they're nice to look at."

Aladar kept admiring the stars until he heard a small sound come out from Hazel. He turned his head and saw that she was yawning. He smirked at that action and watched as she went back to her original arms under head position.

"You should sleep now," he told her.

For once, she did not argue to that. "Yeah, I guess it is passed my bedtime."

Aladar watched as his human friend fell asleep on his back. Even though the herd was being driven through the night, he found relief in staring at the stars. He could not explain it, but there was something different about Hazel. Not about how she looked like, but what she knew. The more the dinosaur wondered about Hazel, the more confused he got. He pushed all those thoughts aside and focused back on reality.

_Well there you go, the end of Chapter 6. Not really much action…yet. I just thought this would be about something cute. So Chapter 7 will be up soon so stay tuned._


	7. The Lake

_Okay…the action begins…now. Well, at least the prelude to it. Nothing really much to say, except for the disclaimers. I do not own Disney's Dinosaur, Prehistoric Park, or any of the other shows/movies mentioned here, just the characters that I created._

**Soundtrack: Aladar and Neera by James Newton Howard**

Hazel jolted awake when she heard the bellows. It was a good thing too because she was falling asleep and she had been leaning towards the side, towards the gravel below. Coupled with the bag she carried and she would have fallen fast. If it weren't for Kron and Bruton's rude awakening, she would have fallen dead on the spot.

Hazel shook herself awake and readjusted herself back on her seated position. She chose to ride on Baylene's back for a few hours before she got back to walking on foot. The girl could not recall how long she had been sleeping or when she climbed onto the sauropod's back, but that did not matter to her now. The herd's excitement and the flurry of action is what mattered now.

The human looked behind her and saw Flia in her usual spot. She had her wings folded across her chest and was looking past her. Hazel lifted an eyebrow up and looked in that direction. She did not have her goggles, as she had stowed them away into her bag earlier that day, so she had to squint in order to see. The sun was blinding and there was not a cloud in the sky. What's better, not a lot of dust was flying. The human made out the figures of the various dinosaurs, and Kron and Bruton, making their way towards a rocky hill. Hazel looked back at Flia and noticed that she was smiling.

"Uh hey, what's going on?" she asked her friends around her. "Why is everyone so excited?"

Eema, with her rounded body and tired legs, hurried forward a little and let out a relieving gasp. "It's the lake!"

Hazel could not help but grin at that word. Finally, the situation was starting to get better. Hazel closed her mouth and felt the dryness. She took a gulp and noticed that her throat was dry too, probably from sleeping with her mouth open. Too long has she been without water. She looked forward and urged Baylene to hurry up with a couple of excited pushes on her neck. Baylene was simply too huge and did not feel those pushes at all.

Just then, Yar, the elder lemur, climbed up from behind Eema's armored head and looked out at the sight. He too was smiling.

"We made it!?" he asked her.

"It's just over that…that hill baby!" the Styracosaurus gasped with joy.

"Oh thank goodness…" Baylene tiredly said as she did her best to keep up.

Aladar rushed forward from behind Eema and made his way towards the hill. Unlike the other dinosaurs, who only cared about getting water, he waited to allow the elder women to catch up to him. He turned to them and pushed them to hurry up, especially to Eema.

"Come on Eema! Water! Remember water!?" he told her as a form of motivation.

"Oh it's time to refresh…my memory!" Eema smiled and pushed on up the hill.

Hazel let out a giggle and was about to hang on to Baylene again when something tapped on her shoulder. She turned around and saw an ecstatic Flia spread her wings apart and turn her back to her. The Pteranodon still kept her gaze on the human, as if she were waiting for something.

"Want to see if we could beat them to it?" Flia asked as she gestured to Hazel.

Hazel immediately got up and made her way to the pterosaur. Obviously, she did not have to ask that sort of question. Carefully, she balanced herself on Baylene's back like a tight rope walker. Thankfully, it was a short distance and she made it to her flying partner. Hazel supported herself onto Flia and with a turn, they took off.

They did not fly too high and kept close to the herd. Since flying by air is a lot faster way of travel, the dinosaurs blurred below them. Even though the herd was walking fast up the hill, the scouts were still faster. Hazel even snickered when they passed over Kron and Bruton. Just for that moment, they were the ones winning. When they finally made it over the hill to the lake, Hazel let out a cry of victory.

"Water here I co-!" she cried before she got interrupted.

Both of them fell silent as they flew over the lake, or at least, what was a lake. Flia flew over the entire lake perimeter, hoping that what they were seeing was just a hallucination. It was all too real…

"Oh no…" was all Hazel could utter.

What was once a lake was what Hazel would call a dried up dirt hole. There was no water in sight, not even a puddle. The dried up lakebed did not show any cracks, a sign that the place dried up recently. There was absolutely nothing there, save for the dried up remains of a Styracosaurus off to the side.

Flia made another turn back to the herd. When she did, both noticed the rest of the herd arriving at the hilltop and beholding the disappointing sight. To their left, they saw their friends Baylene and Aladar arrive. Eema was slowly following behind them and her voice echoed through the area.

"I'm just gonna walk into that lake…until the water's up to my eyeballs," she gasped when she finally made it.

"And soak it all…in," Eema said and then let out a sad sigh.

The herd stood there, staring at the lake. Flia found a place in between her friends where she could drop off Hazel. The Pteranodon slowly descended and reared back, allowing for a soft landing. Wings spread apart and standing tall, she waited until Hazel landed on the ground. After seeing her run up and stand with the mini-herd, Flia took off and made her way towards the front, to where Kron was.

Hazel stood there and stared at the lakebed. She even felt sorry for the dead Styracosaurus on the other side. She imagined that the dinosaur must have died there, waiting for the rains to come and offer a second chance. Or perhaps some predators came and attacked it on the spot while it waited for water. Either way, the skeleton lay there as a symbol of death.

The human also wondered if this area was once a green valley. The chances of this place being lush with vegetation in the past were slim, as this area would be bordered next to an unforgivable desert. But it was still a possibility. That and the meteor probably destroyed the place. Hazel could not help but wonder if they had been walking over the bones of any unfortunate dinosaurs, even previous members of this herd. The more she thought about it, the sorrier she felt. That moment of grief was interrupted by the echo of Kron's command.

"The Nesting Grounds are only a few days away! Keep moving!" the purple Iguanadon commanded.

The herd responded to that command with a series of disappointing groans and cries. Hazel turned towards Kron and the herd and saw them walking away. Neera, who was keeping up with Kron, was trying to tell him something. Whatever it was, he was not going for her advice. Bruton was not there, as he must have been sent to a scouting mission himself. As for Flia, she must have taken off somewhere.

None of that mattered to Hazel as the rage built up in her. She stared at the leader in anger, who was now bellowing to push the herd on. She knew that if they kept going like this, only a fraction of the herd would survive. Hazel marched over there, hands clenched into fists, to yell at her boss in the face.

"We're moving already? Oh we'll never keep up…" Baylene said as she looked on at the now moving herd.

"There was water here…" muttered Eema who sounded a little ways off from the rest. "Always water here before."

Hazel just passed Baylene and stopped when she heard Eema's voice. She followed that sound and saw the elder dinosaur walking into the dried-up lakebed. Hazel took a glance at the herd before making her way down to Eema. She was not the only one to think that way as Aladar made his way to Eema too.

"We always had water…always. And…plenty of mud," she cried.

"Oh Eema please," said Baylene who was walking slowly down to her friend. "The herd won't wait. We must carry on."

Hazel was about halfway down the slope when Flia landed behind her. She heard the familiar flap of wings and turned around to see her friend. Flia, who was now on all fours and wings folded next to her, stared at her.

"Hazel, we need to fly. Now," she urged her.

The human gaped at her. "What!?"

"Kron's orders. We need to scout."

"Fine. But we're not leaving until we help Eema," Hazel told her and ran down the dry shore.

Flia watched as the human made her way towards the rest of the group. She let out a sigh of frustration before taking off towards them. It didn't take her very long to land next to Eema. With Aladar, she tried to make the old woman get back up on her feet. She was on one side while Aladar was on the other. It didn't really help that Eema was heavy and she was not supporting herself at all. Flia had thin and weak arms, which were only made for flying and not carrying things. She did not even notice the lemurs come up from behind Eema to stay next to her.

"You've got to get up!" Aladar grunted as he tried to help Eema.

"Come on old girl! Or we'll get left behind!" Flia urged as well.

Nearby, Baylene had made it to the lake and the ground cracked under her weight. Each step got louder and deeper as she got closer to them.

"There was water everywhere…" Eema cried again.

"There is no water dear," the Brachiosaurus tried to explain.

Another loud step. This time, Hazel heard it. She stopped running and looked back at Baylene, who was still walking towards them. Hazel was about halfway between the sauropod and the rest of her friends when she heard those gurgling sounds. Not only that, but she also noted the footprints from the shore, which got deeper the further in she went. Baylene made another step and the girl's curiosity piqued. Hazel looked back at Aladar, who was still trying to get her back up.

"Aladar hold it!" she called to him.

Immediately when she said that, he let Eema go and allowed her to fall back on the ground. Flia squawked in surprise when the weight got heavier and backed up a little to avoid being crushed. Aladar looked at Hazel and waited for her to say something. She did not say anything, but she did point at Baylene, who made one final step. When she did, the sound returned. Those did not notice before, but Zini was right next to Baylene's foot at the time. The lemur watched them and waited to see if he had not been going crazy too.

"Baylene…don't move," Aladar told the sauropod and quickly walked up to her.

"Oh what is it?" the Brachiosaurus reared back a little. "What's wrong?"

When she moved, a small gurgling sound from under her feet. At this point, the lemur, the Iguanadon, and the human were already surrounding that foot.

"Do you hear that?" Zini asked the other two.

"Uh huh. There's something under there," replied Hazel. She along with Zini were kneeling down.

"I sure do. Lift your foot Baylene," Aladar told her.

Baylene lifted her foot up and the three began digging from the footprint. The blue Iguanadon shoveled out clumps of dirt with his left foot. The human was doing the same, only with her left hand and at a slower pace. The yellow furred lemur used both of his hands to shovel the dirt away, and even fell in the hole during the process. While they were digging, Hazel realized something that she had learned from a while ago.

"_I've seen elephants do this on TV a few times, during periods of serious drought. If this is a dried lake and what I heard is what I think it is..."_ she thought as she kept on digging.

"Now press down," Aladar told Baylene. When he said that, Hazel and Zini backed away to allow the clawed foot to fall.

The elder dinosaur pressed her foot back into the mold. The gurgling came back and for a second, nothing happened. That was, until Baylene's immense weight gave way and the ground broke. The crashing footfall was followed by a brown gurgling liquid, which was now flooding out from beneath the dirt. Everyone smiled at what had happened.

"Whoo! I always loved big girls!" Zini cheered.

"Water…!" Aladar gasped and backed up a little.

"Oh my goodness!" Baylene reared her head back at the realization that she saved them all.

Hazel laughed and jumped for joy. "I KNEW IT! THANK YOU ANIMAL PLANET!"

Thankfully, the creatures around her did not pay any attention to that comment, as they were mostly concerned with the water.

The blue ornithopod reared his head back and bellowed into the air. The herd stopped moving and turned to see what had happened. Even Kron and Neera stopped to investigate.

"Water! Come on!" he hollered at them.

Aladar ran back to the watering hole and dug a little deeper. Nearby, the lemurs were hopping alongside a tired Eema, who was desperately walking towards the puddle as fast as she could.

"That's it Eema. Come drink," Baylene gestured to her friend.

Hazel was watching her and nearly fell over when she felt a little nudge from her back. The human turned on both sides and saw Flia towering to her right. She was smirking and shook her head before going in for a drink. Hazel knew that was a way of saying 'you really are something'. She soaked in this victory with her friends and buried her face in the puddle. The human knew she was taking in gulps of sediment covered water, but that did not bother her. All she cared about right now was easing her dry throat.

After a minute or so of gulping down the dirty water, Hazel brought her head back up and was gasping for air. Her bangs and front locks of her hair were soaked. She shook her head to part them away and breathed in the oxygen. Since the water was dirty, some sediments stuck to her face and she took the action of wiping them off using the neck part of her shirt. The feeling of being free from the dirt relieved her.

The relaxing moment was ruined when Kron appeared. Flia and Aladar stopped drinking and perked their heads up at him when he came along. Hazel finished wiping her face and started shaking when he came close. Except for them, the others kept on drinking.

"Kron look! All you had to do was dig and-," Aladar explained but was then rudely interrupted.

"Good, now get out of the way," the leader demanded, which caused the newcomer to back away.

Kron stomped and roared at them. Everyone had been taken by surprise at his action. The group, dinosaur, lemur, and human, backed up and gave the selfish leader what he wanted; his own drinking puddle. Kron immediately took gulps from the puddle, not even minding the still thirsty members around him. Hazel had landed on her rump when he roared and had backed up by a few feet to get away from him. Even when she was already a considerable distance away, she was still shaking from the event. Not only that, but being pushed away by her boss all because he wanted to have the puddle all to himself made her want to scream at his face even more.

At that moment, when Kron shooed them away, a series of bellows sounded from the far shore of the lake. All of them felt the vibrations from the footfalls. Hazel looked in that direction and was shocked to see the entire herd stampeding towards the large puddle. She let out a scream and ran to the edge of the shore. At least…she was about to when Flia called to her and gestured her to climb on her back. Without a second thought, Hazel climbed on and the duo took off to the skies, away from the stampede.

The two scouts found safety at the far shore where the herd came from. They stood there, side by side, watching the huge spectacle. Every single member of the herd, whether they be big or small, were squeezing past each other. They even witnessed some dinosaurs get shoved away by their comrades, just to be denied a turn at the puddle. There was even Baylene, who stood there in shock her smaller comrades surrounded her handy work for a drink.

Not only did they get a good view of the situation, but also a good view at two dinosaurs of the opposite personality. Somewhere away from the main cluster, Aladar was tending to Eema by helping her gently push the incoming members away. Just then, a loud bellow was heard from the main part of the herd. Both diverted their attention to that portion and no doubt did they see Kron telling the others to back off from his water.

Hazel shook her head in disappointment. "Geez, what a big difference there."

Flia said nothing about that comment. Both of them just stood there and continued to watch. Neither of them knew it, but they were not the only ones to observe this phenomenon. Nearby, Neera watched the whole thing. No doubt was she thinking the same way as Flia and Hazel were. This event continued on until the cluster broke off; each member satisfied, or somewhat satisfied, with the drink they had.

That evening, Kron decided to let the herd rest in the area. After being driven mercilessly and restlessly through the desert, they had finally gotten some well needed rest. Couple that with a drink of water and that is luxury.

As usual, Aladar's troupe rested further away from the herd. All slept around each other, forming somewhat of a protective circle. Everyone was accounted for…except for Hazel. While they slept, she had made her way back to the puddle and refilled her bottles. Thankfully, her bottles had filters, so she would not ingest any of the sediment. Except for one, the Bobble bottles were now filled with brown, cloudy water.

The puddle was not that far off from the herd, so Hazel knew she was safe. There she was, kneeling, and storing her last bottle into her bag. It was evening and everyone was pretty much asleep. So Hazel pulled out her cell phone, turned it on, and started texting Nigel. It had been days since she last spoke to him and she knew he would be worried. Not only that, but there were a few things bothering her. Talking to her prehistoric friends is a definite no, so the only other person she could turn to is her mentor.

**Hazel**: Sorry about the days' wait. We've been traveling through the nights and I could not find any safe times to contact you.

**Nigel**: Hazel! You had me worried!

**Hazel**: Yeah, sorry about that. We've been traveling double time. Anyway, we found water in this desert!

**Nigel**: That's wonderful! You filled up your bottles?

**Hazel**: Sure did. I did so a few minutes ago. The water's murky, but it's okay!

**Hazel**: I feel kind of guilty, keeping my rations a secret. I wish I could share them, but then they'll be reliant on me for food and water. I only have enough for myself.

**Nigel**: I know. I don't like it either but it is for the best. How long until you reach the Nesting Grounds?

**Hazel**: A few days. Maybe less. Nigel, I've been wondering. Sooner or later, my friends (Aladar, the lemurs, Baylene, Eema, and Flia) will start wondering about who I really am. I don't know how much longer I can hold up.

**Nigel**: Well, considering that their descendants will not remember what has taken place, I don't see a problem in telling them. And they're your friends. You can tell them anything. I mean, you've spoken to me and the rest of the staff about anything.

**Hazel**: I know that. But I'm just not sure if they will understand. I mean, whatever term I use from our time might leave them confused. And when I do bring them back, I'm not sure how to tell them they'll be safe.

**Nigel**: Calm down. When telling them the truth, just simplify your explanation. Don't talk about anything that would confuse them.

**Nigel**: And whatever you do, do not tell them about your plans on bringing them back.

**Hazel**: I know. Doing so would cause problems.

**Nigel**: You're really lucky you know. You get to speak with them.

**Hazel**: Hehe. Alright. Well, I should let you go now. We may have found water, but that doesn't mean the leader will ease up on us.

**Nigel**: Okay. From what you've told me about Kron, and to quote you from before, he IS a prick!

**Hazel**: And stubborn too! He wouldn't let the other members of the herd get a fair share of water! He was even going to push them onwards to the Nesting Grounds! (Before we found the water. The elephants' technique of finding water really helped today.) Anyway, I should stop gossiping.

**Nigel**: Just be careful around him. It sounds like he would have a one on one with Matilda if it were a bad day. Do you plan to bring him back?

**Hazel**: I don't want to. But I'm not sure how to prevent him from following. What should I do? What if he does follow?

**Nigel**: I'm not sure. Just do your best on making sure he doesn't follow you. Kron might wreck Prehistoric Park or injure the other animals. Or worse…he might injure us.

**Hazel**: Okay. I'll try. But it's still too early to think about that. Right now, the top priority is reaching the Nesting Grounds.

**Nigel**: Okay. Well, it's late and you need your strength.

**Hazel**: Alright. Goodnight

**Nigel**: Goodnight and be careful.

With that said, Hazel turned off her phone, carried her bag, and made her way back to her friends. It took her about five minutes or so to make it back to them. The sun was not fully down yet so there was still light. If it weren't for the dried up lake and the desert nearby, the scenery would make a beautiful subject for a painting. By the time she got close to Baylene's back, Hazel heard a couple of voices nearby. Curious, she peered over from the tail side and saw the source, or two in this case.

A little ways off, but not that far, was Aladar. She did notice the twin juvenile Iguanadons drinking from a newly created puddle. But that sight did not make her widen her eyes in surprise. It was the fact that Aladar and Neera were talking to each other, face to face.

Hazel could not believe what she was seeing. A few days ago, Neera was completely uninterested in this guy, and even gave him a lame nickname. And now, here she was, talking to him. Hazel was not much of an eavesdropper, but she did watch a few dramas in the past. Interested in the situation, she knelt down to one knee, used Baylene's neck as cover in case she needed to hide, and watched the scene. They were a little far off, but she could make out what they were saying. Or at least, most of what they were saying as they were a little quiet.

"I'm Aladar. The Jerkosaurus," Aladar introduced himself with some humor.

"Oh…sorry, about that," Neera replied with an embarrassing smile.

The blue male chuckled at that. "You're probably right."

There was an awkward silence between the two after that statement. Hazel had watched too many dramas to know this kind of moment. Normally one of them would open up with a random question, which would then be followed by some touchy moment. A minute later, Hazel's theory was proven.

"Why did you help that old one?" the pink female asked.

"What else was I supposed to do? Leave her behind?" was Aladar's answer.

When he said that, Neera looked down in shame. The partner noticed this and thought about something that might answer as to why she was like that.

"Oh…you mean you actually-?"

"Well that happens all the time," Neera immediately followed up with that. "You don't survive if you're not-"

Aladar finished her sentence. "Strong enough."

Hazel rolled her eyes at that part. Classic romance; the boy finishing the girl's statement. Or the other way around. She also understood what was going on, judging from what they were saying. Neera must have learned her brother's ways and considered them to be right. And leaving the weak behind was one of them! But…she still was not like the ruthless Kron. After all, she did help Hazel by convincing Kron to let her join.

"Well…yeah," Neera agreed.

"Is that you talking? Or your brother?"

Neera looked at him seriously, but then turned away from him. She let out a sigh and walked off. Obviously, she was confused at what was right and what was wrong.

"Everything seems so different. I…I don't know what to think anymore," she said as she walked off.

Much to Hazel's dismay, the two began to walk off together. Sure it was romantic and all, but the further they went, the quieter the volume. The human put her hands close to her face (as if she were clawing at it) and silently let out a cry, like a fan desperately wanting to know what happens next. Even though they were now farther away, Hazel could still understand the basic situation.

"Look Neera," Aladar said while walking next to her. "If we watch out for each other, we all stand a chance of getting to your Nesting Grounds."

Neera chuckled at that. "You sound so sure."

"I'm not," was his response. "But it's all I know."

Again, there was an awkward silence between them. Judging from what she was seeing, Hazel would give Aladar a thumbs up for making a move on Neera. And this was without Zini's help! Cheering her up and easing her with the current situation is one way of getting close to her.

"_This is so cute,"_ Hazel thought as she watched them. _"They're on a date…now if only Aladar would offer Neera something. Ooh I know! Give her a drink!" _Unexpectedly, Aladar took the words right out of her mouth.

"So um…oh water," Aladar mentioned and started digging a hole in the ground with his foot. "I'll get you some water."

Hazel lifted an eyebrow up and then rolled her eyes playfully.

"_Wow…took the words right out of my mouth. Well…sort of,"_ she said in her mind.

"Can I try?" Neera asked.

"Sure! Just press," the boy instructed.

The human squinted her eyes and saw them press one paw next to their partner's. She then heard them giggle and were about to go in for a drink. Hazel giggled when they accidentally bumped into each other.

"Oops!" Aladar said.

Neera let out a giggle. "Sorry."

"No you. You first," he went.

"_Another point for Aladar. Always let the lady go first,"_ Hazel noted proudly.

"One down…" a voice sounded from the tip of Baylene's tail.

Hazel looked in that direction and was surprised to see the lemur family awake. What's more, they were watching the whole date too. They sat there and watched as their adopted son, or brother, or nephew, depending on the lemur, spend some quality time with his unexpected crush.

"And…" Yar, who was the one who made that statement earlier, said as he gestured over to Zini. Zini on the other hand, just woke up and saw what was going on. Hazel kind of felt sorry for the lemur bachelor as his buddy found a girl and he didn't. Still, it's life.

"Well, one down," the elder lemur concluded to save Zini some confusion.

All of them watched as the couple drank water together. Even after having their fill, they went on with their conversation. Hazel could not help but happily sigh. She now had the expression of the audience admiring the sight of a lovely young couple having a good time.

"Ah…Lamour…" she whispered as to not wake up Baylene or attract the lemurs' attention.

This was a romantic moment and Hazel wished she had some popcorn. Not just to quell her hunger, but also to enjoy the sight as it would fit perfectly in a movie. However, like what happened before, all good moments had to be interrupted. A sound had attracted her attention and made her look to the shoreline. When she did, she saw Bruton limping towards Kron, who now stood up from his perch. They were both farther away from her than the dating couple so Hazel could not make out exactly what they were saying. However, the words "Carnotaurs" and "driven them out" were definitely bad news.

Just then, a roar echoed. The human looked behind her and guessed that the roar came from a Carnotaurus. What's worse, the sound came from the mountains just a few miles away. Hazel started to worry about the safety of this herd and looked back at the leading Iguanadons. The next thing that Kron said was something that Hazel could perfectly hear.

"You led them right to us!" he growled at Bruton. "Maybe you can feed them with your hide!"

Bruton looked away in shame. If getting hurt by a Carnotaur was bad, getting a mouthful from Kron was even worse.

"Move the herd out! Double time!" Kron yelled at him before walking away in a huff.

Bruton, although feeling shameful that he pissed off his superior, did what he was told. He bellowed as loud as he could. The herd jolted awake and started moving out right after Kron bellowed. Seeing this, and wanting to know what was really going on, Hazel ran over to that ledge to the leader.

The herd was moving fast and they did not even know what was going on. Luckily, the human's main focus was on Kron, who was standing on the hilltop watching the herd pass by. Just when Hazel was about to climb the ledge to get to him, she heard the familiar flap of wings come toward her. She turned around, and once again saw Flia.

"Get on!" she ordered her.

Hazel complied to that and climbed on to her back. When she did, the Pteranodon took off. At first, they were flying towards the main basin, then Flia made a sharp turn and flew towards the leader. It only took a minute or so until she landed close to him. Kron looked down to his left side and saw his scouts walk to him. Flia was about to say something but was interrupted by another voice.

"Kron!" a voice shouted.

All turned towards the far left and saw Neera and Aladar walk up to the base of the ledge. Like Kron, well…he did not exactly show it, they were worried about the situation.

"What's going on?" his sister asked.

"Carnotaurs! If we don't keep moving, they'll catch up to us," he explained.

"But…the others in the back! They'll never make it!" Aladar reasoned.

"They'll slow down the predators!" Kron retorted.

At that moment, Flia and Hazel gasped. They looked at each other and shared worried expressions. Their friends were obviously too slow and weak to fend off the Carnotaurs. There was no way they would survive alone!

"You can't sacrifice them like this!" Aladar shot back.

And Hazel agreed with him. She marched up to Kron, fists balled, teeth clenched, and rage on her face. How could Kron do this to them? To her friends!? No, not just her friends, anyone! Hazel tolerated his leadership skills for nearly two weeks and she has had it! Boss or not, this guy has no right to treat them like this.

"_I've just about had it with this guy! I don't care about survival of the fittest. This is just wrong!"_ Hazel screamed in her mind.

"Kron!" she called to him. He looked down and stared into those furious eyes. "He's right! They're slow and vulnerable! We can't just leave them behind!"

"Yes we can! Doing so will increase our chances of survival!" he defended his belief.

Hazel shot glares at him again. "Survival for the herd, or survival for you?"

Flia looked at her in shock and told her to stop. "Hazel be quiet!"

For the first time during this trip, the human ignored her advice. The purple dinosaur turned his body towards her and stared as if she were an ant. He put one foot down, showing his anger.

"You dare question my authority!?"

"Yes I dare!" she screamed back at him. "You don't have any sympathy for those who fall behind and die! All you care about is yourself! What kind of a leader are you?"

"Keep talking that way and I will make you an easy target to the predators!" Kron threatened.

"Go ahead! Do it! You selfish bastard, you're no leader and you don't deserve to be one!"

Right when she said that, Hazel knew she had gone too far. She only had a second to reflect on what she had just said. And only one second. Kron reared back on his hind legs and prepared to smash her to the ground. Hazel readied herself to dodge the attack when shockingly, Flia gets in front of her. The pterosaur used on of her wings to push her back and the girl landed on her butt. She heard a cry of pain and opened her eyes. When she did, she saw Kron pinning the helpless Flia on the ground. There she was, sprawled on her stomach and shrieking in pain.

"Oh my god! Flia!" Hazel screamed.

The human was about to draw her sword and slash at him when she heard another dinosaur run up to the ledge. She turned around and saw Aladar scream down at the herd. The herd slowed their pace and looked up at him so that they would hear what he would say.

"Hold it! That could be you back there! Or you!"

The furious Kron growled and stormed up to Aladar. Like what he did to his sky scout, he pinned the rookie down. Hazel saw this chance and ran to Flia's side. While she helped her up, she watched the entire event take place.

"If you ever interfere again," Kron threatened him. "I'll kill you!"

Aladar breathed in horror as the ruthless leader glared into his soul. Once he released him and started to walk away, Neera walked over to him and was about to help him up. Her brother turned and ran up to her.

"Stay away from him!" he shouted and pushed her away. His action made her walk alongside him and away from Aladar. The blue Iguanadon recovered and was about to attack him when the female told him no.

"Aladar no!" Neera told him, making him stop.

"You just…just go! I'll be okay!" she said as she walked away.

Aladar shook his head in frustration before agreeing with Neera. He turned around and rushed back to his friends. Back there, Eema, Baylene, and Url just woke up and saw the back of the herd march out of the lake.

While that happened, Hazel managed to help Flia get away from the area. They were still on the plateau and were a few feet away from the recent leader threat. Hazel checked around her partner's hairless body for any signs of broken bones or other injuries.

"Flia, I'm so sorry!" Hazel apologized, still horrified by what happened.

"It's alright," Flia reasoned with her, with some strain in her voice.

Hazel checked around her body one last time and saw that there were no serious injuries. The only sore spot she noted from Flia was a huge area on her back, which was where she was struck. Other than that, no limbs or bones were broken.

"You're safe…that's all that matters. And I've been through worse before."

The human watched her partner flap her wings twice to check for any pain. The Pteranodon flapped her wings smoothly, which meant her most important limbs were fine. When she finished, a sense of fear was etched on her face as she stared at her right. Hazel noticed and looked too, fear etching her face as well. Coming up to them was an angry Kron and a worried Neera.

"Human," Kron stopped and glared down at Hazel. "Be happy in the knowledge that I spared your life. For questioning my leadership, you are exiled from the herd and stripped of your position!"

At that moment, Hazel did not care. She continued to stare into those heartless, black eyes with fury. The dinosaur did the same and snorted at her. He then looked at Flia and gave her a glare too. Neera stepped forward and was about to talk to them when her brother pushed her to the side like before. The female could not do anything to help except by giving them an apologetic look. Once they were away, Hazel turned to Flia, who was recovering from the confrontation.

"Flia, you must go with them," Hazel told her.

When she said that, the scout shook her head in defiance. "No, I will not leave you behind."

"Don't worry about me. I'll stay with the others. Right now, the herd needs a scout in the air," the human reasoned with her.

Flia shook her head again. She did not want to leave her friend alone. Even though she said she would stay with their friends, she knew that she would still be in danger. Without anyone to watch out for them in the sky, their chances of survival are low.

"Hazel!" she tried to reason again.

The human kept a straight face at her. "I said go!"

After a moment of silence, and shock from Flia, Hazel walks up to her and strokes her beak. Her expression turned from being stern to being concerned.

"I'll be fine. We'll meet at the Nesting Grounds. I promise," she told her.

The flying reptile closed her eyes and inhaled. They stood there together for a few minutes. Hazel continued to stroke her beak to calm her nerves. Afterwards, the pterosaur backed up and turned her back to the human. They gave each other one last look, eyes filled with resolve, before parting ways. Flia took off to the skies and looked behind her one last time at the creature she called friend.

"_Hazel, please be careful,"_ she thought as she flew towards the herd, which was now out of the lake area.

Hazel walked on until she was at the edge of the hill. She looked over to the left side of the lake and saw her friends slowly walking together. The human took a deep breath and collected her thoughts.

"_Well this was an eventful day. First we find water, I enjoy a romantic scene which would fit perfectly in a Shakespearean play, my boss fires me for questioning his leadership skills, and now my friends and I are left behind. Could this situation get any worse?"_

She walked down the slope to join her friends. Hazel watched too many movies and TV shows to know that when someone says that, things always get worse. And she knew that she was right.

_And voila! Chapter 7. Man that was a doozy. Took me nearly two days (including breaks, meals, and sleep) to finish this. When Hazel gets back (if she ever gets back…), Nigel and the others are definitely going to flip. Except for the part where she talks to them of course. She's well aware of the promise she made to Nigel. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for Chapter 8._


End file.
